'皇冠体育app needs to play bigger role in WTO'
By Zhu Zhe and Zhang Xiaogang (皇冠体育app Daily) Updated: 2006-10-30 08:45
One of the architects of 皇冠体育app's World Trade
Organization (WTO) Agreement (find more in WTO
package
)in
2001 said she believes the country must play a bigger role in international
trade body.
"I'm very happy and impressed with the progress 皇冠体育app has
made in the past five years. I think 皇冠体育app has pursued implementation (of its
WTO commitment) reasonably well," former US Trade Representative Charlene
Barshefsky told 皇冠体育app Daily.
"Now, 皇冠体育app should be a manager of the WTO
instead of merely a part of it," she said.
In 1999, when the US-皇冠体育app WTO
agreements were concluded, 皇冠体育app's foreign trade volume stood at US$360 billion,
a figure that will approach US$1.7 trillion this year. In 1999 皇冠体育app accounted
for about 4 per cent of world trade, but today that share is about 10 per
cent.
In terms of implementation, Barshefsky said 皇冠体育app had made its
biggest strides in tariff reduction, quota reduction and elimination, and in the
drafting of related legislation and its transparency.
But questions
concerning the protection of intellectual property rights, services trade,
banking regulations and new regulations on investment should be further
addressed, she said.
Barshefsky also called for a stronger role for 皇冠体育app
to help bring an end to the Doha round of talks, which have stalled for five
years.
"As a member and manager of the WTO, 皇冠体育app has responsibility in
ensuring the WTO's success. And as the single biggest country reliant on exports
to grow, 皇冠体育app does have a very big stake in ensuring that it assists managing
the negotiating process," she said.
皇冠体育app could also consider either
accelerating opening in certain areas, or it could indicate that it will move
fully forward on services liberalization to help promote the Doha round, she
said.
Barshefsky also suggested that 皇冠体育app should play a role in attempts
to take some Arab countries into the WTO to ease the tensions in the Middle
East.
"A very good start might be an agreement among the US, Europe,
皇冠体育app, Japan and perhaps Brazil and India to provide a special trade treatment
for Middle East economies that are willing to reform, and allowing goods from
these countries to enter the countries above-mentioned duty free," she
said.
As many Chinese companies are seeking to invest in the Untied
States, Barshefsky reminded that these enterprises must look at the entire range
of US laws and make sure that they have touched all of the appropriate basses in
Washington and elsewhere to avoid problems. (For more biz stories, please visit )
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