U.S. Throws WTO Director-General Selection Process Into Chaos, Possibly With an Eye on China

The United States threw a wrench into the selection process for the World Trade Organization’s next Director-General when it moved on Wednesday to block the appointment of Nigerian-American Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala to support its preferred candidate Yoo Myung-hee, South Korea’s trade minister.

Washington’s stated reason for backing Yoo over Okonjo-Iweala was that Yoo comes to the job with far more actual trade experience. 

The Trump administration is certainly not going to make any friends with this decision, especially in Africa where Okonjo-Iweala is very popular. But that may not be the point. The Japanese financial newspaper Nikkei Asia, among other observers, speculated that the White House may want to support Yoo’s candidacy out of fear that Okonjo-Iweala’s development background may bias her towards China’s interests, particularly in places like Africa where Beijing’s influence is especially pronounced.

This move again highlights U.S. isolation within the international community, given that the EU, Japan, Latin American, and African states all declared their support for Okonjo-Iweala.

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The post U.S. Throws WTO Director-General Selection Process Into Chaos, Possibly With an Eye on China appeared first on The China Africa Project.



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