WTO Reform at Risk: Cameroon Talks Face Global Divisions Amid Geopolitical Tensions

• Trade ministers convene in Cameroon for high-stakes talks on WTO reform, facing sharp global divisions and geopolitical stress.
• Business leaders warn of potential "worst industrial crisis in living memory" due to rising energy costs and food security risks.
• Long-standing dysfunction, including a paralyzed dispute settlement system, plagues the WTO, with no unified reform agenda.
• The US pushes for permanent extension of digital transmission customs duty moratorium, while India opposes it, citing policy flexibility for developing economies.
• Geopolitical sensitivities, like Taiwan's exclusion, further complicate consensus-building efforts at the critical meeting.