Piie iconPiieSep 3, 2026

An Agentic WTO: Thoughts on WTO reform in the face of a divided WTO membership and China’s role

Abstract The multilateral trading system was a vision of post-World War II Allied planners for all nations living in harmony within a system of liberalized trade and agreed rules. The organization they envisaged, the International Trade Organization (ITO) went too far and was not created.

An Agentic WTO: Thoughts on WTO reform in the face of a divided WTO membership and China’s role

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Abstract The multilateral trading system was a vision of post-World War II Allied planners for all nations living in harmony within a system of liberalized trade and agreed rules.

The organization they envisaged, the International Trade Organization (ITO) went too far and was not created.

What replaced it was a contract, the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), an arrangement which governed for almost fifty years.

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Abstract The multilateral trading system was a vision of post-World War II Allied planners for all nations living in harmony within a system of liberalized trade and agreed rules. The organization they envisaged, the International Trade Organization (ITO) went too far and was not created. What replaced it was a contract, the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), an arrangement which governed for almost fifty years.

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  • To this ad hoc structure, in 1995 was added, an agreement on trade related intellectual property (TRIPS), a General Agreement on Service (GATS), a dispute settlement…

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