Until US, China enact reforms, WTO will continue to fade into irrelevance

China has benefited far more from the WTO than any other trading nation; it should step up and take responsibility for keeping the organization afloat by redefining its role

That the World Trade Organization was able to come to any kind of deal at its 12th ministerial meeting last week was something of a miracle. The organization has been dead for years as a location for trade governance — and even longer as a place for successful negotiations.

In fact, reports of the WTO’s continued existence are greatly exaggerated. Until the two most influential trading powers in the world — the United States and China — commit to reform, the organization will continue to decline into irrelevance.

It is true that the deals struck last week mark two major