Focus: China's WTO Anniversary
A Message from PRC Ambassador to the United States Zhou Wenzhong
On December 11, 2001, after more than ten years of difficult negotiations, China finally became an official member of the World Trade Organization (WTO). In an instant, five years have already passed. I hereby would like to simply present the significant efforts and work that China has done since entering the WTO to fulfill its commitments.
Since entering the WTO, our country's government has faithfully adhered to its WTO commitments and made comprehensive adjustments to its trade system and policies.
In the area of trade in goods, our country's average tariff rate has dropped from the pre-WTO-entry level of 15.3 percent to 9.9 percent in 2006. In particular, the average tariff rate for industrial goods is now 9.0 percent, and the average tariff rate for agricultural goods is 15.2 percent.
In the area of import management, our country on January 1, 2005 completely eliminated nontariff import measures for 424 Harmonized System categories of goods, namely import quotas and licenses. Our country has also established a complete, open, and transparent tariff-rate quota management system for the import of grain, cotton, oil, sugar, chemical fertilizers, and other staple goods that are important for people's livelihoods.
In the area of foreign trading rights, our country liberalized foreign trading rights and implemented a registration system for foreign traders on July 1, 2004, half a year earlier than the commitment deadline.
In the area of trade in services, our country has promulgated and revised laws and regulations related to banking, insurance, securities, telecom, architecture, distribution, legal services, tourism, transportation, and other service sectors, thereby providing ample legal basis and assurance for expanding market access opportunities in the realm of services trade.
In the area of intellectual property rights (IPR), our country, before and after entering the WTO, has made massive revisions to IPR legislation. In particular, our country has revised principal IPR legislation such as the Patent Law, Trademark Law, and Copyright Law and their implementing rules. The domestic IPR legal framework has completely met WTO requirements. At the same time, China has continuously augmented its enforcement and protection of IPR, and people's awareness of IPR protection has significantly increased.
In April 2006, the WTO conducted its first Trade Policy Review for our country and affirmed our country's fulfillment of our WTO commitments. WTO members have given high marks to China's work--since it began to reform and open up and especially after it entered the WTO--in continuously deepening reforms, expanding the country's opening up, and earnestly fulfilling its commitments and furthering trade liberalization. WTO members have also expressed their congratulations to China for its achievements in developing its economy, expanding foreign trade, elevating the people's standard of living, and reducing poverty. They believe that our country's performance in numerous areas of economic and trade policy since it entered the WTO has been good; that our country has shown a clear and definite political will in fulfilling our WTO commitments; that our country's trade system and trade environment is more stable and more predictable; and that our country has become an important engine of global economic growth.
While attaining development for itself, China has not forgotten to contribute to the stable development of the world economy and of international trade. In the Doha round of negotiations, China always actively and constructively participated in negotiations on each topic, strove for progress in the talks, and clearly made active contributions based upon its level of economic development and the level of what it can bear. China is willing to continue to strive and make contributions together with other members to resume and complete the Doha round of negotiations as early as possible.
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