Preliminary
On September 23rd, local time, the General Debate of the 80th UN General Assembly was officially held. It was at this conference that China's high-level officials announced a heavy news, and it was this news that made the media of all countries begin to discuss: China is no longer a developing country?
Speaking of this, the United Nations General Assembly was indeed very busy, with hundreds of leaders from Trump, Macron and other countries personally present. During this time, Trump plagued the United Nations with money and no work, joking that Europe was "going to hell", and European leaders were not reluctant to show weakness, fighting against Trump.
This should be discussed at the United Nations General Assembly.
The recent United Nations General Assembly was fun, Trump, Macron and the leaders of the great powers were crowded in attendance, and the meeting was full of smells. Trump criticized the United Nations “taking money does not do”, and also mocked Europe “is heading to hell”, and the European leaders were upset. In this diplomatic “debate game”, China did a big thing – on September 23, local time, China’s top level announced in the United Nations: China will no longer seek special treatment from the World Trade Organization (WTO) to developing countries.
As soon as this news came out, the global media was fried. You know, when China joined the WTO in 2001, it came in as a developing country and enjoyed many tangible preferential benefits, such as lower tariffs and longer policy transition periods. Taking the initiative to give up these benefits now is equivalent to leaving the ready-made "benefits". Why?
Why should China take the initiative to "downgrade"?
Some may think that China is not decent enough for its own "developing countries" hat, and want to remove it.
First, China’s development in these years has indeed been too fast.The 2025 data show that our total GDP is almost $19 trillion, stably sitting at the second place in the world, manufacturing is the world’s largest, exports are the leading year.But per capita GDP is only $1.34 million, the high-income national standards of the World Bank of $1.32 million are still a little less than that, let alone the US $6.5 million, South Korea’s $30,000 compared.
Secondly, this is a statement of China’s international responsibility.These years, the United States has been unwaveringly engaging in unilateralism, imposing tariffs on China, engaging in technological blockades, and also shouting for “reciprocal trade”.China’s initiative to give up special treatment is actually telling the world: we are willing to do according to higher international rules, support the multilateral trade system with practical actions.
Finally, this is also a "counter-measure" against the United States. In recent years, the United States has been trying to force China to "automatically upgrade" to a developed country, and even passed a bill in Congress saying that China is "no longer a developing country". However, China doesn't recognize this. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has repeatedly stressed that China's status as a developing country is based on international law and cannot be changed by the United States. Voluntarily giving up the special treatment of WTO this time is not only to respond to the pressure of the United States, but also to strive for greater right to speak within the framework of rules.
What is the impact of abandoning “Welfare” on China?
There are concerns that China does not need special treatment, will it harm?
In the short term, there is indeed pressure.For example, in the WTO negotiations, China may need to undertake more open market obligations, tariffs may be further reduced, some weaker competitive industries, such as agriculture, low-end manufacturing, may be hit.But in a different perspective, this can also push China's industry to upgrade.Like these years, China's new energy vehicles, photovoltaic industry can become a global leader?Mostly because early "breaking milk", in the international competition to roll out.
In the long run, the benefits are even more. First, China can use this to promote WTO reform. Many of the current WTO rules were set 20 years ago and are no longer suitable for new fields such as digital economy and green energy. China takes the initiative to assume more responsibilities and can have a greater say in rule-making. Second, it helps to improve China's international image. In recent years, the West has always said that China is "hitchhiking". This time, voluntarily giving up preferential treatment is to prove to the world that China is a responsible big country. Third, this can pave the way for the construction of "the belt and road initiative". Through infrastructure investment and technology export, China helps developing countries develop. After giving up special treatment, it can more confidently say "we are equal partners" when cooperating with these countries.
Is China not a developing country?
There is a key question here: Is China’s initiative to give up special treatment in the WTO equivalent to recognizing itself as a developed country?
First of all, there is no uniform standard for developed countries in the world. The World Bank uses income division, the United Nations Development Program uses the Human Development Index (HDI), and the WTO allows members to "declare" their own status. The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has made it clear that China will always be a member of the big family of developing countries. This is a factual judgment based on national conditions and a right granted by international law.
Secondly, China still enjoys the treatment of developing countries in other fields. For example, in the field of climate change, the Paris Agreement clearly stipulates that developed countries should assume more responsibilities for emission reduction, and developing countries can have a longer buffer period. Although China has given up the special treatment of WTO, it will still adhere to the principle of "common but differentiated responsibilities" in climate negotiations.
Finally, China's actions are also proving its position. In recent years, China has built railways, ports, and photovoltaic power stations for developing countries through the "the belt and road initiative". In 2025 alone, it signed more than 50 climate cooperation documents with 42 countries and invested more than 177 billion yuan. If you really regard yourself as a developed country, these things may not be so concerned.