China has issued new guidelines aimed at strengthening its role in the global trading system. It requires governments at all levels to conduct compliance assessments of proposed trade policies in accordance with WTO agreements and China's accession commitments. CGTN spoke with Professor Ji Wenhua, an academic liaison under the WTO's outreach program for his view on the guidelines.

CHEN MENGFEI CGTN "Professor Ji, what are the key new provisions in the updated compliance guidelines compared to the previous one? And how will they be implemented in practice?"

JI WENHUA Professor at the School of Law University of International Business and Economics "The new compliance guidelines show several key upgrades from the 2014 version. First, they now cover policies made by county-level and higher local governments, not just provincial ones. Second, they make compliance checks mandatory before issuing trade policies, with new oversight measures. Third, they clearly say the same office that makes the rules must check their compliance. Fourth, they reaffirm China will respond to WTO members' compliance concerns with clearer response procedures. The guidelines call for local adaptation of measures while keeping the Commerce Ministry in charge of overall guidance."

CHEN MENGFEI CGTN "Against the backdrop of current global trade tensions, what is the significance of China issuing enhanced compliance guidelines at this time?"

JI WENHUA Professor at the School of Law University of International Business and Economics "The current international economic and trade system is in a state of instability and uncertainty. On one hand, strengthening compliance demonstrates the Chinese government's longstanding commitment to rules-based governance and fair competition. It can encourage more nations to support multilateralism while countering unilateralism and protectionism. On the other hand, the Ministry of Commerce's strengthened compliance review mechanism systematically evaluates other members' trade policies. This allows timely identification and response to non-compliant practices while reinforcing consultation mechanisms. This represents a crucial step in China's reform agenda and international cooperation. This contributes to steering the global trading system toward greater fairness and rationality."