Who's to Stand out Winner after China's Entry into WTO?

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Wednesday, December 12, 2001

Who's to Stand out Winner after China's Entry into WTO?

China's entry into the WTO has proved that both China and its foreign-counterparts are winners. However, they are not equally shared out for everybody. Whoever hags and sticks to the old without thinking of going in for something new and whoever holds the broken and debris by remaining where they are for death will be able to go nowhere but a loser to be.

China became an official member of the WTO on 11 Dec. 2001. Except the rights enjoyed by it as a full member of the organization it must undertake its obligations and honor its commitments.

What are the commitments for China to undertake after its WTO entry? The contents of the protocol of over thousand pages comprise no more than the following two: abiding by the rules of the WTO and opening up the market.

The World Trade Organization is based on the rules of the market economy. For China to honor and abide by the rules is the necessity with which China is to establish and improve the socialist market economic system. Rules are mapped out by men and China's entry into the WTO means that the Chinese people will have their own say in working out the rules, in which they are able to maintain with efforts their own rights and benefits. This is a major strategic consideration for China's accession into the WTO.

As the global seventh economic and trade body, the largest developing country of the world it is pleased for the world to take China into the global multilateral trade system and let China to play its roles in it as a responsible big country.

Naturally, to adhere to the rules means to set gag on ones own behavior. For some places and units who used to do manoeuvring behind people's backs and do what they wanted to do the restriction on doing things in a transparent way and abiding by the restriction is a real agony. However, this is a sort of labor-pain China has to endure during the practice of reform.

The World Trade Organization advocates freedom and convenience in trade investment. Why China agrees to open its market is because it has the right to enjoy at the same time the convenience brought about by the opening of the global market to it. And this will make the internationally superior products of China to turn out more competitive in the global market.

As a market of the greatest potential in the world, China's opening will help it to become larger, quicker and more anticipated after joining the WTO. China will offer an opener, more impartial and fairer competitive environment and this is beyond doubt the greatest gospel for foreign businessmen of an honest behavior.

Of course, the market opening is none other than a double-edged sword for both Chinese enterprises and businessmen from alien lands. The competition in the Chinese market will become fiercer. The days are dying out when some people got upper hands over others by engaging in a lopsided work, fawning on the authority or fishing in troubled water. The competition in the world market will become more vehement too. Whoever is more competitive, abler to get through the reform and make the pressures brought about by the opening up to become a motive force will come out a winner in the competition. China's entry into the WTO is by no means a threat but a motive force to competition, a good opportunity for cooperation.

To put all this in a nutshell, China's entry into the WTO has proved that both China and its foreign-counterparts are winners. However, they are not equally shared out for everybody. Whoever hags and sticks to the old without thinking of going in for something new and whoever holds the broken and debris by remaining where they are for death will be able to go nowhere but a loser to be.

By PD Online Staff Han Rongliang

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