BEIJING — China, European Union and other World Trade Organization (WTO) members have decided on a multilateral interim appeal arbitration arrangement, the Ministry of Commerce (MOC) said on March 27 in a statement on its official website.

The interim arrangement will enable cases filed by participating members to be heard despite the current paralysis of WTO's Appellate Body, the de facto court of appeals in the organization.

The decision came after the body failed to function on Dec 11, 2019, the first time in nearly 25 years, as certain country repeatedly blocked the nomination of its members.

An official with the MOC underlined the importance of the Appellate Body, saying that dispute settlement was one of the core functions of the WTO and had great bearing on the stability and predictability of the multilateral trading regime.

The arrangement will be conducive to the running of WTO's dispute settlement mechanism, and has also demonstrated international community's confidence in and support for the multilateral trading regime, the official said, adding that the ultimate goal was to restore the normal operation of the body.