FM Spokesman on China's Entry into WTO

Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Zhu Bangzao said Tuesday China is making preparations for its entry into the World Trade Organization (WTO) in order to carry out all the commitments it has made.

Zhu said at a press conference that on September 17, the 18th session of the WTO working party on China passed relevant documents on China's entry, including the protocol, the report of the working party and its annex covering concession lists on commodity and service trade.

The meeting decided to forward these documents to the WTO General Council. Thus, the working party on China fulfilled its 15- year historic mission and all the talks on China's WTO entry came to an end.

Zhu said that the fourth WTO Ministerial Conference to be held November 9-13 will examine and approve the documents concerning China's entry. The representative of the Chinese government will formally sign the protocol on China's entry, which will be submitted to the National People's Congress of China for ratification.

The ratification will be forwarded to the WTO officially and on the 30th day thereafter, China will become a member of the WTO.

Zhu pointed out that China's access to the WTO is a strategic decision made by the Chinese government against the backdrop of economic globalization, which is coherent to China's reform, opening-up and its efforts to establish a socialist market economic system. China's entry into the WTO will benefit its national economy and other members of the WTO as well.

After its WTO entry, Zhu said, China will observe the WTO principles and further develop its socialist market economic system in line with internationally accepted rules.

China will also strengthen economic and technological cooperation with all WTO members including developing countries according to the principle of opening markets to each other, Zhu said.

This will push forward China's modernization and its capacity to participate in and cope with economic globalization, he added.

(Xinhua News Agency 09/18/2001)