国际商务英语课文电子版lesson (21)

Lesson 21

WTO and China

After 15 long years of hard negotiations, China became a formal member of the World Trade Organization on Dec. 11, 2001. People may wonder whether it pays(值得be worthwhile) for China to devote such a lot of time and efforts for accession to加入the organization. So some knowledge about the WTO as well as the opportunities it provides and the challenges it poses to China is quite necessary.

The origin of the WTO can be traced back to(date back) the early post World War II years. To guard against the threat of trade wars, major trading nations sent their representatives to Havana in 1947 to create an International Trade Organization for the promotion of international trade. That objective was, however, not realized for controversy（争议）over the extensiveness of the powers of the proposed ITO（拟成立的ITO）（这一目标由于对拟成立的ITO 的权力广泛性有争议而没能实现）, mainly for the refusal by the United

States to ratify（批准approve by signing）the charter of the stillborn organization. Nevertheless,the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade(GATT) was formed as a conduit（channel渠道）for multilateral negotiations on a variety of international trade issues.

Headquartered in Geneva, GATT provides a framework within which international negotiations are conducted toward creating global trade rules and a consultative mechanism for resolving differences and settling disputes under those rules. It also

provides technical assistance to developing countries in the form of seminars and training courses on trade policy issues.

T he general aims of GATT are the improvement of standards of living, full employment, a large and steadily growing volume of real income and effective demand, the full use of the world’s resources, and the expansion of production and international trade. It is the specific task of GATT to contribute to the attainment of these objectives through arrangements directed to the substantial reduction of tariffs

and other trade barriers and to the elimination of discrimination.

Initially, GATT consisted of only three basic parts. In part 1 the basic obligations which are to be fulfilled by the contracting parties are laid down —the most-favored nation clause and the schedules of tariff concessions.

In the years followed, the text of the General Agreement was revised, numerous amendments were reached relating mainly to the expansion of exports of less-developed countries and a part 4 was added. In the new part, the

contracting parties agree that the attainment of the general aims is particularly urgent where less-developed countries are concerned. In the interest of the less-developed countries, endeavors (efforts) must also be made to ensure the stabilization of commodity prices, better access to the markets of the developed countries, and the diminution 减少of the burdens which the developing countries assume承担in the interest of their economic development.

The Generalized System of