Romance of the three kingdoms now playing in Geneva : WTO reform as a drama between the U.S., China and the EU

Abstract

The impetus for current talk of ‘WTO reform’ largely stems from the tension between the United States and China, but both powers must take account of the third major trade power, the European Union. In this paper we discuss the elements of the WTO reform agenda with a focus on those tensions and the possibility of one power driving a wedge between the other two. We do so by drawing on the recent literature analysing the operation of the WTO and potential reform of its working practices and by evaluating responses to an expert survey, using the latter to assess the prospects for – and the potential shape of – a WTO reform and negotiation package that China might support.