TRIPS Waiver Agreed To at WTO Ministerial Conference; China Promises Not To Use It

The WTO's 12th Ministerial Conference concluded early in the morning of June 17 with a number of new decisions and declarations. In relation to China trade issues, one area of particular controversy had been whether China would be eligible to use a waiver of certain TRIPS Agreement rules on patents. The compromise language that was agreed to excludes China by relying on China's recent commitment not to use this waiver.