1.Brief Introduction to the ITC
In an effort to streamline the United Nation's export promotion efforts, ITC, successor of the International Trade Information Centre, was officially established on 1 January 1968 to merge activities of GATT and UNCTAD by creating a joint subsidiary.
ITC's mission is to foster inclusive and sustainable economic development, and contribute to achieving the United Nations Global Goals for Sustainable Development. ITC works towards creating "trade impact for good".
As the joint agency of the United Nations and the WTO, ITC is the only multilateral agency fully dedicated to supporting the internationalisation of SMEs. Its joint mandate combines a focus on expanding trade opportunities with the aim of fostering sustainable development. With support from funders and development partners, ITC works with policymakers, trade and investment support institutions (TISIs), exporters and other stakeholders in the public and private sectors to enable export success of SMEs in developing countries and transition economies.
ITC is headed by an Executive Director who reports to the Secretary General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the Director General of the World Trade Organization (WTO). The Senior Management Committee (SMC) is made up of executive officers and the heads of ITC's four divisions which are, respectively, Division of Market Development, Division of Enterprises and Institutions, Division of Country Programmes, and Division of Division of Programme Support.
The Joint Advisory Group (JAG) of the International Trade Centre meets annually to examine the activities of ITC on the basis of an ITC Annual Report and to make recommendations to the UNCTAD Trade and Development Board and the General Council of World Trade Organization on ITC's programme of work. Governments of Member States of UNCTAD and members of WTO are invited to send representatives to this meeting. The JAG meeting is also open to United Nations specialized agencies and bodies, and to other intergovernmental organizations with observer status as well as to relevant non-governmental organizations.
2.China and ITC
China maintains close cooperative relations with ITC. Cooperation between China and ITC mainly focus on trade, capacity building for developing countries and etc., which supports economic and social development in developing countries and the implementation of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.