this is the right approach for those in china 's leadership who wish to extract maximum benefits from the wto to bolster domestic reform .
taiwan is also set to play a constructive role -- if mainland china plays along .
the city states , hong kong and singapore , have clear - sighted wto policies , focusing on market access and strong rules .
malaysia and thailand are also fairly active in the wto , with a mix of free - market and protectionist positions .
indonesia and the philippines are weaker , overwhelmed by policy incoherence and fire - fighting at home , and with insufficient capacity to deal with the wto 's burgeoning and increasingly complicated agenda .
the wto is at a crossroads .
it sorely needs to liberalize trade progressively .
strong us leadership is required to push the wto in this direction while avoiding an eu - style future ( regulatory overload ) or a un - style future ( an irrelevant talking shop ) .
this is more likely under a bush administration with better open - market credentials and a more assertive foreign policy than any democratic alternative .
however , robert zoellick , president bush 's trade representative , needs allies .