The Voice Of Developing Countries In The Multilateral Trading System

This article is based on the theory of"Discourse Power"and"International Regimes"to analyze the situation of discourse power in the multilateral trade system. It focuses on the emergence and development of the discourse power of developing countries and roots of this power of them. The discourse power of China is also a very important part of this paper.After World WarⅡ, the pillars of multilateral trade system are General Agreements on Trade and Tariffs (GATT) and its successor World Trade Organization (WTO). They are not only part of multilateral trade system but also the operating body of it. The evolvement of multilateral trade system may be divided into three stages: the founding period (1947-1962); the stabilizing period (1963-1985) and the expanding period (1985-). Accordingly, the evolvement of the discourse power of developing countries is divided into three periods too: first period, lack of discourse power; second period, awareness of the conception of discourse power and struggles for it; third period, complex gaming of discourse power.As the largest developing country in the world, just like other developing countries, China is faced with the task of pursuing discourse power in the multilateral trade system. Despite of all kinds of negative elements, though China can't change the status quo at present, it still can achieve its goal through enhancing its hard and soft power, its ability of participating in the international regimes and seeking discourse power in other trade regimes and so on.