The out-going administration of United States President Donald Trump has again initiated a suggestion to the World Trade Organization(WTO) to start a new process to fill the vacant position of Director-General WTO) afresh.
The push by Trump administration to re-open discussions on the process and protocols that led to Okonjo-Iweala being chosen by the Ambassador Walker-led WTO selection panel , The New Diplomat gathered has further escalated fresh anxieties and tension at the WTO.
To WTO analysts, the Trump administration’s move is an unprecedented action in recent times, fueling apprehension in many quarters. Trump’s trade Chief, Robert Lighthizer told the BBC that the WTO needs ” someone with real experience in trade.”
Agency reports tracked by The New Diplomat indicate that the United States repeated rejection of Nigeria’s former Finance minister, and a former managing director of the World Bank, Dr Okonjo-Iweala, not-withstanding the dominant support, and preponderance of widespread support her candidacy has enjoyed from across the majority of member countries of the WTO, has triggered concerns that need to be addressed by the in-coming administration of Joe Biden as President of America.
According to the BBC, the incisive statement by Trump’s top official on trade, confirms that there is no way the Trump administration will be persuaded to back Okonjo-Iweala, Nigeria’s former finance and foreign affairs minister in its remaining weeks in office.
Recall that the other finalist for the WTO DG role is South Korea’s Trade Minister Yoo Myung-hee, and the seeming inability to resolve the deadlock occasioned by Trump’s veto, has left the Organization in inactive state in recent weeks.
Agency reports state that the deadlock at the WTO comes at a sensitive time for global trade, which has suffered because of the coronavirus pandemic across the globe.
If a new Director-General is not appointed before Biden’s inauguration as America’s President on 20 January, it is likely the process will be delayed for several months as a new US trade team would need to be put in place as a first priority before the new administration initiates any move in the direction of WTO.
BBC reports that Joe Biden may also embark on a widespread review of US trade policy, as dozens of industry groups are urging him to undertake that route. But he has said he doesn’t plan to immediately remove any of the tariffs imposed by the Trump administration on China, and which the WTO has judged to be “inconsistent” with international trade protocols.
Recall that the WTO has been somewhat decapacitated by the Trump administration following the wielding of its veto powers on the appointment of new judges to adjudicate on trade issues and disputes.
Experts are of the view that even though in-coming US President Joe Biden hasn’t given any indication as to where his preference lies between Yoo or Okonjo-Iweala for the WTO’s top job, it might take a long while before the issues raised by the out-going Trump administration are addressed.
Biden was quoted as saying recently on trade “We need to be aligned with the other democracies.. so that we can set the rules of the road instead of having China and others dictate outcomes.”
However, at another level, Simon Lester, a WTO analyst at the Cato Institute in Washington told the BBC. “If the Biden administration can trade off support for Ngozi for political capital on other reforms, that certainly seems like a good idea.”
He added that this would be the quickest way to get a new WTO leader in place, because “opening up the selection process could be messy and complicated, and would lead to delays”
*With additional data and information from BBC
