UNITED NATIONS: China will not be seeking new special and differential treatment -- a privilege granted to developing countries -- in current and future World Trade Organization (WTO) talks, the country's official Xinhua news agency reported Tuesday.

Xinhua cited Chinese Premier Li Qiang's remarks at a high-level meeting on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.

‘Major developing country’

In making the announcement, Li noted that the world's second biggest economy was behaving as "a responsible major developing country," Xinhua reported.

WTO agreements contain provisions allowing developing countries special rights, and for other members to treat them more favorably.

Such treatment includes longer timeframes for implementing commitments and measures to boost trading opportunities for these countries.

But some wealthy nations have in the past said that China should no longer be classified as a developing country, which is something that nations decide for themselves.

Relinquish the treatment

Washington has previously argued that China should relinquish the treatment given to developing countries.

On Tuesday, WTO chief Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala wrote on social media that according to Li, "China will no longer have access to Special and Differential Treatment in new WTO Agreements."

She lauded the announcement as a piece of "major news key to WTO reform," adding that it was "a culmination of many years of hard work."

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China not seeking new special, differential treatment in WTO pacts