
Former WTO chief: Protectionism will damage us all

Pascal Lamy, former director-general of the World Trade Organization, speaks at the annual session of China Development Forum (CDF) 2018 in Beijing, China, March 24, 2018. /CCTV Photo
Protectionism will damage us all, said Pascal Lamy, former director-general of the WTO, on Saturday at the forum. He noted that the trade war is a negative zero-sum game, and improvement is necessary in the current trading system, concerning better market access and disciplined subsidies.
"The US has a problem with the WTO systems," he said, noting that the priority is the negotiation.
Lamy pointed out that all countries should work together to further consolidate a rule-based multilateral trading system.
If negotiation fails, countries have to make efforts to ensure rule-based trading systems are strengthened rather than weakened.