A Chinese lawyer has been elected to the World Trade Organization's (WTO) highest court, the first Chinese to serve on the judicial body.
The WTO Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) has formally appointed Zhang Yuejiao on the seven-member Appellate Body, which issues final rulings in trade disputes, the world trade body announced on Tuesday.
Zhang once served as director of the treaty and law department of the then Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation, now the Ministry of Commerce.
As a veteran negotiator, she has taken part in China's talks with its trade partners to settle disputes and its accession into the WTO.
Zhang has worked for the World Bank, too, and is senior counsel for a leading law firm in China. She is widely considered as a sound lawyer with extensive experience in both public and private sectors.
A law graduate from Rennes University in France, and Georgetown University and Columbia University in the United States, Zhang is fluent in English and French and teaches law in Guangdong Province's Shantou University.
Jennifer Hillman of the US, Lilia Bautista of the Philippines and Shotaro Oshima of Japan were elected to the WTO Appellate Body, which for the first time includes three women.
Hillman and Bautista will formally join the court next month, while Zhang and Oshima will take their seats in June.
（英语点津 Celene 编辑）
About the broadcaster:
Bernice Chan is a foreign expert at China Daily Website. Originally from Vancouver, Canada, Bernice has written for newspapers and magazines in Hong Kong and most recently worked as a broadcaster for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, producing current affairs shows and documentaries.
