WTO and Trade in Services -- Reflections on Accelerating the Development of Shanghai's Modern Service Industry

Author: Bei Zhaojian
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-08-03
Features: Shanghai, as the most economically developed central city and a window for opening-up in China, is currently in a critical period of urban functional transformation and achieving a shift in growth models. Developing modern service industries, expanding the opening-up of the service sector, and actively participating in international service trade are important means and paths to accelerate Shanghai's urban functional transformation and industrial restructuring. This book analyzes the potential challenges faced by Shanghai's service industries—such as culture, circulation, telecommunications, banking, legal services, education, logistics, healthcare, information services, and real estate—in further developing under the WTO framework. It combines WTO rules and international operational experiences while also linking to Shanghai's actual characteristics and development needs. Additionally, the book proposes relevant countermeasures and suggestions for Shanghai to promote the development of modern service industries and service trade, which are worth our attention. I sincerely hope that the publication of this book will spark interest among relevant government departments, state-owned enterprises, and professional service institutions, enabling them to more effectively contribute to the cause of building a service-oriented and innovative modern socialist international metropolis. They should also discover and solve new problems, summarize and elevate new experiences in practice, and push the development of Shanghai's modern service industries and service trade to a new height.