Ninety three percent of Chinese urban residents have followed the WTO negotiations between China and the United States, getting their news from media coverage or the Internet, according to a survey conducted hours after the Sino-US agreement was signed.

The survey, conducted by the Social Survey Institution affiliated to the National Bureau of Statistics, was based on questionnaires given to 1,156 residents in major Chinese cities.

About 94 percent of those polled said China deserved the WTO entry, reported today's China Daily.

More then 80 percent believed China will play a major role in spurring the development of world economy in the new century with its huge market potential and significance in international trade.

Some 80 per cent said they believed China's WTO entry would improve their standard of living as they gain access to more goods with lower tariffs.

However, more than 85 percent said they see the deal as applying pressure on State-owned enterprises and some industrial sectors.

The WTO deal, which came after a 13-year marathon bargaining process, has triggered nation-wide debate and made the word WTO a household name almost overnight.