On September 23rd, at the United Nations Headquarters in new york, the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly was underway. Under the spotlight, the Chinese delegation suddenly threw a "blockbuster"-voluntarily announced No longer seeking special treatment for developing countries by the World Trade Organization。 This is the first time since China joined the WTO in 2001 that it has clearly stated that it will give up relevant institutional preferential treatment on such an important international occasion.
U.S. President Trump played a "diplomatic disaster show" at the meeting: not only to humiliate the leaders of other countries, but also unreasonably accuse China of being the "sponsor" of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, the scene was embarrassing. Why did China actively abandon the special treatment of the WTO at this moment? why did the United States repeatedly display a ugly, or even “self-destructive image” in the United Nations?
China’s decision, however, was not made in a hurry. From the time line, this move was a long ending. In 2023, the U.S. Congress voted in full to end China’s status as a developing country, calling for China to be removed from the “developing country” list.
In recent years, the United States has frequently exerted pressure on this, and even made similar demands on multilateral occasions such as climate treaties and trade agreements. The purpose is very clear: It is to weaken China's flexibility and competitive advantage in the global trading system.China did not respond directly to these pressures, but instead chose to take action “a step ahead.”
On September 23rd, the Chinese delegation made a high-profile announcement at the United Nations General Assembly that it would no longer seek special treatment for developing countries granted by WTO. This is not a passive admission, but a proactive attack.
What does it mean to waive these treatments?The WTO treatment of developing countries often includes lower tariffs, longer policy transition periods, more relaxed subsidy conditions, etc. These institutional arrangements have provided important support for “Made in China” to enter the global market over the past 20 years.
Taking the initiative to let go now is tantamount to telling the world that China has the ability to "compete head-on" with developed countries and is willing to assume more responsibilities in global governance. This step is not easy for China, but it is very large.
From the data point of view, China already has the capital to "wrestle" with developed countries. In 2024, China's total import and export volume of goods will exceed 43 trillion yuan, and its automobile export volume will reach 5.22 million units, surpassing Japan to become the world's number one. Chip exports will reach US $93 billion in the first half of 2025, a year-on-year increase of 20.3%. Local companies such as SMIC are also among the top ten generations of factories in the world.
In the fields of 5G, high-speed rail, new energy, China's technological level is constantly climbing to the high end. More than 60% of the world's 5G base stations are located in China, the operating mileage of high-speed rail exceeds 45,000 kilometers, and the production and sales of new energy vehicles rank first in the world for eight consecutive years.
These data show that China's comprehensive strength is no longer "developing countries in the traditional sense", but China has not fully denied its development stage. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin pointed out that China has a population of 1.4 billion, and the gap between urban and rural areas and regional disparities is still obvious.
Data for the first quarter of 2025 showed that the per capita disposable income of urban residents in China was 1.5 million yuan, which is 2.27 times that of rural residents.At the same time, the admission rate of 985 universities in the east is three times that of the west, and the distribution of educational resources is extremely unbalanced.
These realities exist, Make “China’s identity as a developing country” complex and dialectical.Therefore, China is not "taking off its hat" or "being taken off", but actively adjusting its international positioning and preparing for higher-quality participation in global governance.
Just on the day that China announced the decision, U.S. President Trump's performance at the United Nations General Assembly was almost a "turn-off scene". he not only accused the United Nations of "spending money not doing the job", but also complained publicly that the elevator was broken, the vocabulary broke, and even "self-declared Nobel Prize winner", saying he "ended seven conflicts in eight months".
But these so-called “accomplishments” can’t be pushed out at all.The dispute between India and Pakistan, the situation in Southeast Asia, which is really mediated by the United States? Many diplomats are standing underneath each other, not knowing how to deal with this “improvisational show.”
Even more striking is that French President Macron was preparing to return to residence after his speech, but was stopped by the New York police, on the grounds that "Trump's carriage to pass", which led to Macron had to walk, the process was broadcast back to France, triggering a domestic public opinion storm.
The reason behind this is simple: France recently announced its recognition of a Palestinian state, and Trump is extremely dissatisfied with it.In June 2025, U.S. diplomats tried to prevent China from hosting the International Conference on Radio Communications and proposed to change it to be held in Washington, and the results were vetoed.
More seriously, the United States has become The biggest debt payers of the UNAs of September 2025, the United States was indebted to the United Nations more than $3 billion, with $82.6 billion out of regular budget for 2025 alone.
UN Secretary-General Guterres warned that the United Nations is considering cutting jobs, abolishing leases and even cutting rations for peacekeeping forces. While the United States doesn't pay money, it has to point fingers at the same time, which really makes many countries feel disgusted.
The New York Times reporter Marla Westendahl recently revealed that the United States has for decades manipulated UN affairs through funding and position arrangements, especially in the context of the rise of China, by all means preventing Chinese personnel from holding important positions.
In 2020, the U.S. prevented Chinese candidates from becoming heads of the United Nations Intellectual Property Agency, and in 2022 it empowered its citizens to take control of satellite communications standards, which are now being understood by more and more countries.
The United States used to be the "gold owner" of the United Nations, but now it is more like a "showstopper". And China is winning the trust of more countries with practical actions. On September 19, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian reiterated that China firmly supports the central role of the United Nations in international affairs. China put forward the "Global Governance Initiative", emphasizing the need to push the United Nations back to its original intention and comprehensively improve the efficiency and fairness of multilateral cooperation.
In this context, China's voluntary abandonment of WTO special treatment is tantamount to telling the world: We no longer rely on identity dividends, but on gaining respect through strength and responsibility.This has also made it pointless that the United States has always tried to deprive China of its status as a “developing country”.China has taken the first step to become stronger, instead of standing on a moral height.
From “regulator” to “regulator”, China is engaged in global governance in a new way.This change, and has already begun. China actively abandoned the WTO preferences, is not a “identity struggle”, but a strategic choice. The performance of the United States at the United Nations, reflects the decline in its global influence. Who is building, who is destroying, the countries of the world see more and more clearly.
Source of information:
[1] It turns out that the United States did so many bad things to China at the United Nations, "but this time it didn't succeed." Observer.com
The United States owes more than $3 billion to the United Nations