WTO Ministerial Conference Opens in Yaoundé Amid Trade Tensions

The 14th WTO Ministerial Conference in Cameroon brings together global trade powers as US tariffs and China-EU disputes dominate the agenda.

Yaoundé Trade Summit: Global Rules Under Pressure

The 14th Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organisation opened in Yaoundé, Cameroon, on March 26, 2026, bringing together trade ministers and officials from 164 member countries at a moment of exceptional strain for the multilateral trading system. The conference takes place against a backdrop of renewed US tariff escalation, persistent China-EU trade disputes, and a growing sense among developing nations that the rules-based trading order no longer serves their interests equitably.

The European Union arrived in Yaoundé with an ambitious agenda: pushing for stricter WTO disciplines on state subsidies and industrial overproduction, defending European anti-dumping measures targeting Chinese steel and aluminium, and seeking to advance the case for Uzbekistan's accession to the organisation. EU Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič emphasised that Europe remains the world's most committed defender of multilateralism, even as other major powers pursue bilateral deals or opt out of international frameworks.

China sent a large delegation led by Vice Premier He Lifeng, who presented Beijing's vision for a reformed WTO that better reflects the interests of developing countries. China's proposals include relaxing subsidy discipline for developing nations, reforming the dispute settlement mechanism to reduce Western leverage, and fast-tracking accession processes for African and Asian economies. European officials warned that these proposals could effectively legitimise the kind of state-directed industrial policy that has distorted global markets for years.

The Trump administration's decision to launch new tariff investigations targeting the UK, EU, and Canada cast a long shadow over the proceedings. Several WTO members called for the organisation to take a formal position on the legality of US tariff actions, though the institutional and procedural obstacles to doing so remained formidable. With the appellate body still not functioning at full capacity, the dispute settlement mechanism continues to be a weak link in the multilateral system.