WTO calls on China to rethink its growth modelRUNNING OUT OF RAIL: A vast trade surplus combined with its weak consumer spending and a debt crisis do not a solid future make, the WTO head said in MunichAFP, MUNICH, GERMANYThe head of the WTO on Friday urged China to change its growth model, arguing that its soaring trade surplus was ultimately unsustainable and risked sparking new trade barriers. However, “the export-led growth model that drove China’s growth for the past 40 years cannot drive China’s growth for the next 40,” Okonjo-Iweala said. WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala of Nigeria speaks at the headquarters of the WTO in Geneva on Wednesday. Photo: AP“And the US$1.2 trillion trade surplus is not sustainable. “And if China does not act, we will see more barriers.”China’s trade surplus hit a record US$1.2 trillion last year.

Source: Taipei Times February 15, 2026 17:15 UTC