Stone from the mountain: Practices and Experiences of WTO Members in Responding to WTO Accession: Practices and Experiences of WTO Members in Responding to WTO Accession

Author: Liu Guangxi
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-03-01
Features: One year of practice has proven that China is using the entry into the WTO as a new starting point for reform and opening up, and this starting point is both correct and high. In the past, some people predicted that joining the WTO would bring catastrophic consequences to China, but at least so far, this has not happened. Of course, the WTO is not a panacea, and joining the WTO does not mean everything will be fine. China has only been in the WTO for one year, and the current optimistic situation does not mean we should relax our vigilance against the challenges and impacts brought by joining the WTO. With the global economic integration and the formation of a new international division of labor, it is a long and arduous task to fully understand, grasp, and utilize the opportunities brought by joining the WTO for our own benefit. Joining the WTO is not the end; the true path of joining the WTO is not only gradual and long but also full of many twists and hardships. On the way forward, we must also be vigilant against and oppose three misconceptions: first, the belief that since we have joined the WTO, whether it brings blessings or misfortune is up to fate; second, blind optimism, thinking that blessings have fallen from the sky; and third, the belief that joining the WTO means China's economic and social systems will fully align with those of the international community. In fact, joining the WTO is just the first step for China to fully integrate into the mainstream of international society. Joining the WTO can at most provide a relaxed environment for the development of China's economy and trade and a fair development platform for aligning China's economic system with international norms. After joining the WTO, our task is to use this platform to push forward China's economic construction onto a long-term, stable, healthy, and sustainable development track. To this end, both now and in the future, we need to study the rules, research the rules, and apply the rules, taking the initiative and being proactive. We firmly believe that as a nation that values keeping promises and fulfilling commitments, China has the ability and confidence to continue fulfilling its WTO commitments according to the set timeline, adhere to the standards of WTO rules, transform government functions, regulate market order, and establish a fair and competitive unified domestic market while actively participating in the development of economic globalization. Joining the WTO will inevitably have a significant and far-reaching impact on China's reform and opening up and modernization construction in the new century.