“The White Paper on China and WTO” – China: A+ Performance
重诺守信，大国责任
A Signed Article by Ambassador Shen Zhifei
驻立陶宛大使申知非在立主流媒体发表署名文章
24 July 2018
2018年7月24日
On June 28, the White Paper on China and the World Trade Organization was published. China joined the WTO in 2001, which marks a key milestone in its intensive participation in economic globalization. The past 17 years witness how the role of China has evolved from an active partaker, to an important contributor, and eventually a firm guardian and defender of the multilateral trading system. The White Paper presents to the world China’s satisfactory performance as a WTO member so far, as well as its positive attitude and strong determination to safeguard the global trading system.
6月28日，中国发布《中国与世界贸易组织》白皮书。2001年中国加入世界贸易组织，这是中国深度参与经济全球化的里程碑。17年的岁月，见证了中国成为多边贸易体制的积极参与者、重要贡献者、坚定维护者和捍卫者。白皮书的发表，向世界展示了中国加入世贸17年来的表现，也表明了中国维护全球多边贸易体制的态度和决心。
China fulfilled its WTO accession commitments
信守承诺，中国履约不打折扣
The facts and figures disclosed in the White Paper prove that China has faithfully fulfilled its commitments made in the WTO Accession Protocol. To comply with the WTO rules, the central and local governments of China had revised or abolished a total of 190,000 laws and regulations. China had met its promise of import tariff reduction by lowering the average import tariff from 15.3 percent in 2001 to 9.8 percent as early as in 2010. To take an example, China’s average tariff on agricultural products is only a quarter of the global average. By 2005, China had eliminated all non-tariff barriers such as import quotas, import licenses as committed. By 2007, China had completed all its obligations to open up its sectors of trade in services. When it comes to intellectual property, the annual growth of royalties paid by China to foreign countries, reaching USD28.6 billion in 2017, had stayed above 17% since 2001, and China had topped the world in its number of patent application for seven consecutive years. In the past 17 years, China has completely carried out its obligations regarding WTO accession with genuine goodwill and comprehensive actions as a committed and responsible member of the world community. As Mr. Pascal Lamy, a former WTO Director-General, puts it: “China has delivered an ‘A-plus performance’ since its WTO accession.”
从白皮书列举的详实权威数据可以清晰看出，中国认真履行了入世议定书的所有承诺。加入世贸组织后，为了执行WTO规则，中国中央和地方政府清理了各类法律法规19万多件；早在2010年，中国就已履行完毕进口货物降税承诺，关税总水平由2001年的15.3%降至9.8%，以农产品为例，中国的平均税率约为世界农产品平均关税水平的1/4；截至2005年，中国按“入世”承诺全部取消了进口配额、进口许可证等非关税壁垒；截至2007年，中国服务贸易领域开放承诺全部履行完毕。关于知识产权问题，从2001年起，中国对外支付知识产权费年均增长17%，2017年达到286亿美元，中国专利申请量已连续7年居世界首位。17年来，中国履约诚意十足、行动全面深入，不折不扣地展现了一个重诺守信的大国形象。为此，WTO前总干事拉米给中国的履约表现打出了“A+”的高分。
China contributes to the world economy
相互成就，中国为世界经济做出重要贡献
China’s rapid development since its accession to the WTO has attracted worldwide attention. Meanwhile, some Western countries accuses that “China becomes the biggest beneficiary of the multilateral trading system at the expenses of other members.” As a matter of fact, accession to WTO has not only lifted the living standard of 1.4 billion Chinese people but also benefited the rest of the world. In the past 17 years, China’s export and import have been growing simultaneously, making it the biggest trading partner of more than 120 countries and regions. While supplying abundant money-for-value products that help save living costs for ordinary families worldwide, China has also become the second largest importing country. The past 17 years has seen China’s FDI inflows tripled, providing business expansion opportunities for multinational companies. In terms of OFDI, China became the 3rd largest investor in 2017 while it ranked the 26th when it just became a WTO member in 2001. In 2017, China’s number of outbound tourists exceeded 130 million, and their average overseas spending reached US$2,600, being the world’s largest source country of outbound tourist market for many years. I am proud to claim that China’s average annual contribution to world economic growth has stayed around 30% in recent years, and China’s extensive market opening has become an important and indispensable engine for global economic recovery and growth.
中国加入WTO后的快速发展受到全球瞩目，也引起了西方某些国家发出“中国是多边贸易体制的最大受益者而世贸组织其他成员‘吃亏’”的质疑。但事实上，中国发展惠及13亿多中国人民的同时，也造福了世界。在过去17年里，中国出口和进口同步飞速增长，成为120多个国家和地区的主要贸易伙伴。中国在为世界市场提供大量物美价廉的商品、降低多国消费者生活成本的同时，也成为全球第二大进口大国；在过去17年里，外商在华投资规模翻了三倍，开放的中国市场为众多跨国公司提供增量发展机会，同时，中国对外投资从加入世贸组织之初的全球排名第26位上升至2017年的第3位；2017年，中国公民出境游突破1.3亿人次，人均境外消费达2600美元，连续多年成为世界第一大出境旅游消费国。我可以自豪地说，近年来中国对世界经济增长的平均贡献率接近30%，成为拉动世界经济复苏和增长的重要引擎，中国大规模市场开放功不可没。
China safeguards the multilateral trading system
肩负责任，中国力挺多边贸易机制
China has been a consistent supporter of the multilateral trading system and firmly maintains its authority, especially after becoming a WTO member in 2001. China respects and implements all WTO verdicts to the full extent. As of July 2018, 41 complaints had been filed against China in the WTO, and in none of these cases China had been retaliated because of failure of enforcing the verdicts. The multilateral trade body is at its most difficult and critical moment since it came into being under the heavy blows dealt by the US with its rampant acts of unilateralism, trade protectionism and trade bullying. China resolutely opposes unilateralism and trade protectionism. As a major country in the world community, China has both the will and the responsibility to act as a guardian and defender of the multilateral trading system, by actively ensuring the smooth operation of the DSB and effectively promoting substantive discussions on new issues such as trade and investment facilitation, SMME’s and e-commerce. We call upon all WTO members to join in a common endeavor to overcome the difficulties and maintain the effectiveness and authority of the multilateral trading system
中国一直坚定支持多边贸易体制，坚定维护世贸组织权威性，2001年加入世贸组织以来更是如此。中国尊重并认真执行世贸组织裁决，截至2018年7月，中国在WTO被诉案件41项，未出现一例因未执行裁决而被起诉方申请报复的情况。17年后的今天，在美国单边主义、贸易保护主义、贸易霸凌的肆意冲击下，WTO正处于诞生以来最艰难的时刻。中国坚决反对单边主义和贸易保护主义，作为一个大国，中国有意愿也有责任做多边贸易体制守护者和捍卫者，积极维护WTO争端解决机制的有效运转，有力促进WTO对投资贸易便利化、中小微企业、电子商务等受到普遍关注的新议题展开实质性讨论。我们呼吁，WTO成员立足长远，共同解决多边贸易体制遇到的困难，维护世贸组织的有效性和权威性。
China pledges to open its door wider to the world
新的起点，中国的大门只会越开越大
Although economic globalization is being challenged by unprecedented suspicion and resistance, China confidently pledges in the White Paper that its opening-up to the world will be way beyond merely fulfilling WTO accession commitments. Reform and opening-up has been the driving force of China’s economic take-off in the past 40 years, and will remain so to lift the quality of China’s economic growth in the years to come. At this historical start of the new era, China will only open its door even wider to embrace the world. China has been reducing tariffs on more than 900 HS code since the beginning of this year, and starting from July 1st, car import tariff was lowered from 25% to 15%. China has published a new negative list to grant much greater market access to foreign investors. China put forward the Belt & Road Initiative in its efforts to make economic globalization more open, inclusive, mutually beneficial, balanced, and win-win to all parties. China initiated the “16+1” format to promote extensive and comprehensive pragmatic cooperation between the 16 Central Eastern European countries and itself. In early November, China will host the 1st International Import Expo to translate the forecasted USD24 trillion import demand in the next 15 years into actual imports from the world. All these are practical actions taken by China in support of economic globalization and trade liberalization.
经济全球化目前虽然遭遇前所未有的质疑和阻力，但中国在白皮书中表态，“中国的对外开放不会止步于履行加入世贸组织承诺。”40年来，中国经济高速发展靠的是改革开放，未来推动经济高质量发展仍然要靠改革开放。站在新时代的历史起点上，中国开放的大门不会关闭，只会越开越大。2018年，中国将继续对900多个税号降低关税，从7月1日起，中国进口汽车整车关税已从25%降至15%。针对外商直接投资，中国已推出新的负面清单，进一步扩大市场准入和对外开放。中国提出共建“一带一路”倡议，推动开放、包容、普惠、平衡、共赢的经济全球化；中国倡导建立“16+1合作”机制，为推动中国与中东欧国家开展务实合作搭建了平台；今年11月中国将举行首届国际进口博览会，主动向世界开放市场，把巨大的市场需求转化为实际进口。这些都是中国支持经济全球化和贸易自由化的实际行动。
China and EU move hand in hand towards a brighter future
携手共进，中欧合作前景广阔
2018 marks the 15th anniversary of the China-EU Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and the 20th anniversary of the China-EU Leaders Summit. After years of joint efforts, China-EU relationship has matured into a stable and healthy one. The EU has been the largest trading partner of China for 14 consecutive years, while China has been the EU’s second-largest trading partner. China statistics put the bilateral trade volume between China and EU at USD616.92 billion in 2017, 12.7% up on that of 2016, of which imports from the EU amounted to USD244.88 billion, making EU the largest import source of China. As of March 2018, the stock of EU direct investment in China stood at USD121.9 billion in 44,468 companies. China is the most important market for EU products. In the case of EU branded cars, the sales in China account for over a quarter of their international market. EU has become one of the fastest growing destinations for Chinese overseas investment with a stock of USD80.6 billion. Bilateral trade in services also presents huge market potential. The economic and trade ties between China and EU are so sophisticated and complex that interests of one party are intertwined with those of the other, serving as the “ballast stone” and “stability anchor” of China-EU relations.
今年是中欧建立全面战略伙伴关系15周年，以及中国—欧盟领导人会晤机制建立20周年。经过多年来的携手努力，中欧关系逐步迈入成熟稳健的发展轨道，经贸领域务实合作不断深入。欧盟连续14年蝉联中国第一大贸易伙伴，中国则跃居欧盟第二大贸易伙伴。据中方统计，2017年中欧双边贸易额达到6169.2亿美元，同比增长12.7%，其中，中国自欧盟进口2448.8亿美元，欧洲已成为中国进口的第一大来源地。截至2018年3月，欧盟对华投资存量为1219亿美元，欧盟国家在华企业达44468家。中国是欧盟产品最重要的市场。仅以汽车为例，欧盟品牌的汽车在中国销量占其国际市场四分之一以上。中国累计对欧投资806亿美元，欧盟已成为增长最快的中国海外投资目的地之一。中欧服务贸易也呈现出巨大的市场潜力。中欧经贸关系已形成“你中有我、我中有你”的利益交融格局，成为中欧关系的“压舱石”和“稳定锚”。
As key members of the WTO and comprehensive strategic partners, China and EU must take joint actions hand in hand, upholding the spirits of openness, inclusiveness, cooperation and win-win, to confront the challenges of unilateralism and trade protectionism, maintain the rules-based multilateral trade order and sustain the growth momentum of the world economy. By doing so together, we will surely inject new vitality into China-EU economic and trade cooperation.
在新的历史起点上，作为WTO重要成员和全面战略伙伴，中欧双方应携起手来，秉持开放、包容、合作、共赢的理念，共同抵制单边主义和贸易保护主义的挑战，维护基于规则的多边贸易秩序，维护世界经济的持续向好势头，为中欧经贸合作注入新的活力。