WTO appointed a new deputy chief, Zhang Xiangchen

The Chinese diplomat was appointed as one of the four deputy directors-general (DDGs) by WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.

Zhang Xiangchen continues his extensive career of more than 30 years in international trade with another responsible position in the United Nations. He served from 2017 to 2020 as China’s Permanent Representative to the WTO.

On Tuesday, the Chinese diplomat was appointed by WTO Director-General as one of his four deputies. The other three are

• Angela Ellard of the United States,
• Anabel Gonzalez of Costa Rica, and
• Jean-Marie Paugam of France.

For Okonjo-Iweala, appointing a woman became the good news, in the spirit of the XXI century.

“It is the first time in the history of our Organization that half of the DDGs are women. This underscores my commitment to strengthening our Organization with talented leaders whilst at the same time achieving gender balance in senior positions,” said WTO chief.

The four DDGs are expected to work with the director-general to advance the interests of the organization, including the preparations for the upcoming 12th WTO Ministerial Conference to be held at the end of this year in Geneva.