Okonjo- Iweala Pledges To End US- China Trade War

Nigeria’s former finance minister, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, said she is the best candidate to end the United States- China trade war when she gets the position of the Director-General of the World Trade Organisation.

She said the five-day abduction of her mother, Kamene Okonjo, in 2012 was more challenging compared with brokering peace between China and the US.

She said, “Would you be more scared if your mother was kidnapped and held to ransom with a demand that you resign your job publicly on television – or else you would not see her alive – or if you said to the US and China, you have to bridge your differences?

“It’s going to be a tough task but you can’t compare it with what I’ve had to go through,” she told The Telegraph.

In a monitored tweet on Monday, she said that it would be tough reforming the WTO.

She said, “WTO reform will be tough – but I’ve delivered hard reform before, including reform of countries’ trade regimes. In addition to this, I’m the only candidate working at the intersection of trade and public health.”

The second of the three-round session with the permanent representatives of the 164 member countries of the WTO ends Monday where the remaining five candidates will be reduced to two.

The selection process would be completed on November 7 with the last candidate standing who will be the replacement for Roberto Azevedo, the ex- DG of the trade bloc.

On her chances over Amina Mohamed, the Kenyan culture secretary, the Nigerian said she was the only candidate currently in public health and trade.

“The WTO has to be part of the solution to the Covid-19 pandemic. The WTO has rules on how, in a public health emergency, you can invoke the possibility for countries to license products and produce them to make them more affordable and accessible.” Okonjo-Iweala added.

Okonjo-Iweala is the current chair of the board at GAVI, the vaccine alliance.