Developing nation status not for US to challenge

The United States' latest attempt to coerce the World Trade Organization into changing the developing-nation status of some WTO member countries is destined to hit a wall of opposition.

In a memorandum it issued on Friday purportedly to promote WTO reform, the US administration threatened action by the US Trade Representative if "substantial progress" toward changes to the special and differentiated treatment for developing economies was not made within 90 days.

When it comes to the reform of one of the world's most important multilateral organizations, messing with its basic principle and trying to replace its rules with US laws are bound to end in failure.