Exim matters: US reform proposals challenge WTO's basic principles

US proposals to reform the WTO question core principles like MFN and special treatment for developing nations, deepening divisions and raising doubts over the future of rules-based trade

Last week, the United States (US) circulated proposals for reform of the World Trade Organization (WTO) that question several of its core principles, such as the most-favoured nation (MFN) obligation, special and differential treatment (SDT) for developing countries, the consensus-based decision-making process, and the role of the WTO Secretariat. Discussion on these matters in the coming weeks is likely to expose deep divisions among members and add to the organisation’s current fragility. 

The WTO was established in 1995 after nearly eight years of negotiations, with the principal objective of making cross-border trade in goods, services and intellectual property more stable,