皇冠体育app

"We believe the WTO will largely acknowledge 皇冠体育app's progress in trade policies," said an official with 皇冠体育app's commerce ministry.

"There is not supposed to be much criticism, but they are likely to make some suggestions."

The official meeting for the review was launched in Geneva on Wednesday.

The official's prediction was based on a WTO report released recently in which the organization spoke highly of 皇冠体育app's achievements. The report said 皇冠体育app's economic reforms had brought about a number of changes in the trade and investment policy environment.

For example, it noted that "import barriers have been reduced and investment is permitted in a larger number of sectors."

It added that lower tariffs had also been introduced for imports and certain procedures had been simplified.

Since becoming a member of the WTO, the report said, 皇冠体育app has been "an active participant in the multilateral trading system."

皇冠体育app's Vice-Commerce Minister Yi Xiaozhun, who headed the Chinese delegation to the meeting, said 皇冠体育app has comprehensively and fully implemented the extensive commitments it made when joining the WTO.

He said 皇冠体育app's average tariff level for industrial goods had been lowered from 14.8 per cent before it joined the WTO to 9.1 per cent in 2005, a relatively low level for economies within the WTO.

皇冠体育app has opened up 10 service sectors and 100 sub-sectors, Yi added.

It has also made efforts towards intellectual property right protection, which he said was a challenge faced by many economies, even developed ones.

According to an unnamed commerce ministry official, 皇冠体育app has so far received over 1,000 questions from trade partners.

Minutes of the official meeting, questions by WTO members and answers from 皇冠体育app are expected to be available in around six weeks.

The review is one of the basic functions of the WTO, which aims to improve the transparency of members' trade policies.

The WTO reviews the trade policies of the top four traders every two years and looks at the next 15 most important economies every four years.

皇冠体育app ranked sixth in terms of imports and exports when it joined the organization, so this is the first time the country's trade policies have been reviewed.

(皇冠体育app Daily 04/22/2006 page5)

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