20 Years After Joining WTO, China Still ‘Far Away’ From Meeting Commitments: Experts

20 Years After Joining WTO, China Still ‘Far Away’ From Meeting Commitments: Experts
A logo is pictured outside the World Trade Organization (WTO) headquarters next to a red traffic light in Geneva, Switzerland on Oct. 2, 2018. Reuters/Denis Balibouse/File Photo
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Beijing’s refusal to abide by the letter and spirit of its World Trade Organization (WTO) membership over the two decades since its admission to that body call for a shift in strategy on the part of countries that respect and seek to enforce the rules, experts say.

China joined the WTO on Dec. 11, 2001, and the 20th anniversary of its membership has inspired numerous reflections on the milestone, as well as complaints and protests by other member nations objecting to the communist regime’s continuing reliance on heavy-handed and non-market-oriented trade and labor practices, from massive agricultural subsidies to forced labor.

A Pattern of Ongoing Violations

For many observers, Beijing is guilty not just of incidental violations of the terms of its membership, but of a general approach to trade and labor that is antithetical to the WTO’s rules and founding principles.
Michael Washburn
Michael Washburn
Reporter
Michael Washburn is a New York-based reporter who covers U.S. and China-related topics for The Epoch Times. He has a background in legal and financial journalism, and also writes about arts and culture. Additionally, he is the host of the weekly podcast Reading the Globe. His books include “The Uprooted and Other Stories,” “When We're Grownups,” and “Stranger, Stranger.”
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