WTO Director-General: The wave of trade agreements may impact the "Most-Favored-Nation" principle.

Jin10 Data reported on May 15 that WTO Director-General Ngozi, in an interview after her visit to Tokyo this week, stated that despite a recent easing of the tariff war between the US and China, global trade remains in crisis. Japanese officials have privately expressed concerns that the hastily concluded US-UK trade agreement this month may encourage countries to consider bilateral agreements driven by self-interest, challenging the “most favored nation” principle that supports the WTO system. When asked whether this trading model could undermine this principle, Ngozi acknowledged the risk. She stated, “That is why we tell WTO member countries engaged in bilateral negotiations that they should strive to comply with WTO regulations as much as possible.”