In late October 2025, the US quietly paid its overdue fees to the World Trade Organization. The payment indicates a shift in the administration’s attitude to the WTO, which it had blamed for allowing China to continue to claim “developing country” status to avoid action on state subsidies used to produce exports. It follows the withdrawal of the WTO from the list of foreign aid projects the Trump administration had slated for major cuts in September 2025. Evidently at least someone in the Trump administration recognises the value of maintaining US influence in an international organisation the US was instrumental in establishing. This may signal US willingness to engage in international diplomacy in a forum with well-established rules and suggests recognition of American dependence on global trade and investment. However, the US has proposed reforms to the WTO that would fundamentally undermine the organisation’s capacity to deliver a fairer trading system.
The US has finally paid its WTO fees. Now what? | Lowy Institute
