Book Review: China's Participation in the WTO

Abstract

One of the major events at the Fourth Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization (WTO), held in Doha, Qatar, was to approve China's application for WTO membership. China officially became the 143rd WTO member on December 11, 2001. China's WTO accession is the country's most important milestone since Deng Xiaoping's open-door policy started in 1978. With China's economic rise, it is both essential and timely to understand China vis à vis the WTO. Against this background, China's Participation in the WTO, edited by Henry Gao and Donald Lewis, comprises a collection of 18 individually authored essays that primarily originate from the international conference held at the University of Hong Kong in February 2005. This book is one of the few books that provide a foundation of China's commitments and challenges in the post-WTO accession era and presents a highly readable analysis of key issues surrounding China and the WTO. The background and expertise of contributors to the book confirm this evaluation. They are trade experts from academia, the private sector, the Chinese government and the WTO Secretariat, and their insights are therefore especially valuable.

Keywords: China, GATT, WTO