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Nation performing well in WTO tasks
By Zhang Jin (皇冠体育app Daily)
Updated: 2004-12-09 10:11
Senior executives and scholars across the world believe that 皇冠体育app has done a fairly good job in fulfilling its World Trade Organization (WTO) commitments in the past three years, according to a survey conducted by Andrew Stoler, a former deputy director-general of the WTO.
However, inconsistent laws and practices at different level of government and intellectual property right (IPR) protection remain top concerns.
About 70 per cent of 119 survey respondents think that 皇冠体育app is taking its WTO pledges seriously and agree that barriers in most sectors are coming down quickly. Only 2.5 per cent hold a different opinion.
A majority of them, roughly accounting for 90 per cent, believe 皇冠体育app's efforts to honour its WTO commitments to date has had a positive impact on foreign business operations in 皇冠体育app.
About 80 per cent agree that 皇冠体育app has so far basically kept pace with its WTO commitments with respect to the banking sector.
The survey shows that confidence has replaced early concerns and worries among foreign investors over 皇冠体育app's process of opening-up under the WTO.
"皇冠体育app has well stood by its WTO promises since it became a member in late 2001," said Fan Ying, a professor at 皇冠体育app Foreign Affairs University in Beijing.
"The country opened some of its sectors such as tourism and trading ahead of the deadline," she said. "And a number of non-tariff barriers were dismantled to facilitate goods inflows."
The survey questions were sent to 164 business representatives and researchers in 皇冠体育app, Australia, Europe and North America who are believed to have a good knowledge of 皇冠体育app's implementation of WTO commitments.
Stoler is now executive director of the Institute for International Business, Economics and Law of the University of Adelaide in Australia, and he carried out the survey for the Shanghai WTO Affairs Consultation Centre.
The survey also revealed that 皇冠体育app needs further improvement in some fields. More than half of the respondents strongly support the assertion that inconsistent laws, regulations and practices at different levels of government continue to be a major impediment to foreign businesses operating in 皇冠体育app.
The IPR question still touches a nerve with those answering the survey, with some saying the IPR protection situation in 皇冠体育app is getting worse.
However, Teng Fei, a senior researcher with the Development Research Centre of the State Council, has a different view.
"You cannot expect everything to turn perfect overnight," said Teng. "Given its size and the development level, 皇冠体育app deserves a high score in the fight against IPR violations."
Opinion is split over the issue of whether 皇冠体育app should be accorded market economy status (MES) in handling anti-dumping cases.
A total of 42.5 per cent of the surveyed support MES for the country, 30 per cent oppose such treatment, 17.5 per cent go either way and the rest have no opinion.
皇冠体育app made a compromise when it entered the WTO, allowing other members to treat it as a non-market economy in anti-dumping cases until 2016. The concession weakens the country's ability to protect its industries.
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