China and the WTO: From Difficult Access to Partial Leadership

Abstract

This paper has explored the interactions between China and the WTO, arguing that it can be divided into three different stages, ranging from difficult access to comprehensive adaptation and to partial leadership. Through the three stages, the conflict and resolution of the dilemmas of market economy status and developing country status is the driving force. In the difficult access period, the market economy dilemma embodies the optional safeguard measures and antidumping measures and the developing country dilemma embodies the access to the market of finance, insurance, and telecommunication in the negotiation of China’s entry to the GATT/WTO. In the comprehensive adaption period, China, out of defending its own market economy status, has been using the WTO rules to counter America’s demands on China such as anti-dumping proceedings and the criticism of “stagnation of China’s reform”. Meanwhile, China still has been sticking to its special and differential treatment of developing country status. In the period of partial leadership, while insisting that it is a developing country, China has strategically advocated that developing countries should realize its national interest by adopting the new policy of “open for development”, embodying its leadership in the emerging issues of WTO negotiations such as the e-commerce and investment facilitation.