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According to Bloomberg on the 18th, of the eight candidates for WTO secretary-general, five people, including the head of the trade and negotiation headquarters, Yu Myung-hee, passed the first round. There are five members, including General Manager Myung-hee Myung-hee, UK Minister for International Trade Liam Fox, Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Economy and Planning Muhammad Majiad Altuwaizri, Kenyan Minister of Culture Amina Mohamed , and Ngoji Okonzo-Iwella of Nigeria, Executive Director of the World Bank. The WTO officially announces the results tonight in Korean time.
From 7 to 16, the WTO held the first round of consultations to elect the next president, targeting 164 member states. Each member country was allowed to support one to four candidates, and three countries (Mexico, Moldova and Egypt) with low preference among them were reported to have been eliminated.
The key is the second round. In the second round, which runs from the 24th to the 6th of next month, two out of every five candidates will be chosen. Prospects are mixed as to whether the head of Yoo’s headquarters can be between two. Regarding the results of the first round, two out of three African candidates were chosen. The preference for African candidates is high. Professor Heo Yoon of Sogang University said: “Amid the deterioration of the relationship between the United States and China during the trade war, support for African candidates in the relatively neutral zone appears to be high.”
In particular, China and the EU are known to support African candidates. In particular, the perspective is predominantly that China will not support Korean candidates to be chosen from the two finalists. When Korea takes over as WTO secretary-general, it becomes difficult to assume the post of deputy secretary-general, which China has held since 2013. In-gyo Jeong, a professor at Inha University, said: “In terms of regional agreements, there is a lack of justification for the same Asian, China, to assume the post of deputy secretary general. Because of this, it is very likely that China will not pressure the Korean candidate.
The variable is the United States. The United States has never identified a preferred candidate, but it is likely to focus on keeping China in check. There is a possibility that there is a high possibility of supporting the British candidate, which is probably in line with the US position, but the EU does not support the British candidate. The relationship with Great Britain, like Brexit, is uneasy and it seems that the EU can represent the position of the United States, which should continue with trade negotiations. Therefore, some analyzes say that the possibility of the US strategically supporting a Korean candidate that the EU does not oppose can also be excluded. In the first round, the EU announced that it was supporting candidates from Korea, Kenya, Egypt and Nigeria.
Headquarters Myung-hee Myung-hee went to Washington DC on the 15th and 18th to meet with the representative of the USTR (United States Trade Representative), Robert Lightheiser, to ask for support because he believed that the support of the United States was the key. However, some analysts say it may not be easy to win the support of the United States if Director Myung-hee Myung-hee does not present the plan that the United States hopes for WTO reform.
An official from the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy said: “It will not be easy, but we will request support by carefully analyzing our opportunities and crisis factors.” The results of the second round are expected in early October and the final results in early November.
