INTERNATIONAL: On April 26 the People’s Republic of China deposited an application to accede to the Intergovernmental Organisation for International Carriage by Rail as an associate member.
Unless five OTIF Member States object, the application will be deemed to be accepted three months after the first notification, which would be on July 26.
Associate membership in accordance with Article 39 of the Convention concerning International Carriage by Rail only stipulates one substantial condition for associate membership: railway infrastructure must be operated on the territory of the state concerned.
An associate member may participate in the work of the organs of OTIF, except the administrative committee, in an advisory capacity, and must pay contributions to the organisation. Unlike the member states, associate members are not contracting parties to COTIF, OTIF’s basic text.
China and OTIF have been co-operating for several years. In spring 2016 the Chinese National Railway Administration expressed its interest in OTIF’s work and in the legal framework offered by COTIF, and a memorandum of understanding was signed on July 12 2016 marking the start of co-operation.
