China's Accession to the WTO
The World Trade Organization (WTO) is a permanent international organization independent of the UN. It started operating on January 1, 1995, and is responsible for maintaining world economic and trade order. Its predecessor was the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) that was established in 1947.
For historical reasons, the People's Republic of China did not join GATT after it was founded in 1949. The Chinese government formally applied to GATT on July 10, 1986 to have its status as a contracting party restored. On June 3, 1995, China became an observer country of the WTO. On November 10, 2001, the protocol on China's WTO entry was approved at the Fourth WTO Ministerial Meeting held in Doha, capital of Qatar. On December 11, China formally joined the WTO and became its 143rd member. This was a new step in China's opening to the rest of the world.
China's entry to the WTO was in alignment with economic globalization and reflected its willingness to join international competition and cooperation. It also marked a step by the WTO toward a global trade organization, and exerted great influence on China's economic structural reform and economic development.
Since then, China has further integrated with and become an irreplaceable force in the international economy, while benefiting from globalization. "Mutually beneficial" is an accurate description of China's relationship with the rest of the world. China firmly supports multilateral trade systems. It will always be a responsible WTO member and make a positive contribution to multilateral trade systems.
加入世界贸易组织
世界贸易组织是一个独立于联合国的永久性国际组织，于1995年1月1日正式开始运作，负责管理世界经济和贸易秩序。其前身是1947年成立的关税及贸易总协定。由于历史原因，新中国成立后的一段时间内，中国没有参加关贸总协定。改革开放以后，为适应形势发展的需要，1986年7月10日，中国政府正式提出关于恢复中国在关贸总协定缔约国地位的申请。1995年6月3日，中国成为世贸组织观察员。2001年11月10日，在卡塔尔首都多哈举行的世界贸易组织第四届部长级会议通过了中国加入世界贸易组织的法律文件。同年12月11日，中国正式成为世贸组织第143个成员，标志着中国对外开放事业进入一个新的阶段。
中国加入世界贸易组织，充分展示了顺应经济全球化潮流、主动参与国际竞争与合作的积极姿态，推动世界贸易组织在真正成为全球性贸易组织上迈出一大步，对中国的经济体制改革和经济发展产生了重大影响。加入世贸组织以来，中国在不断受益于全球化发展的同时，也更加深入地融入世界经济，成为促进世界经济发展不可缺少的重要力量。互利共赢，是对这些年来中国与世界关系变化的准确描述。中国是多边贸易体制坚定的支持者，将一如既往做负责任的世界贸易组织成员，积极参与多边贸易体制建设。