The West Needs to Come to Terms With the Disaster of China’s Entry Into the WTO: Expert

Stewart Paterson launches his newly published book, “China, Trade and Power: Why the West’s Economic Engagement Has Failed,” at the National Press Club in Washington on Oct. 23, 2018 Jennifer Zeng/The Epoch Times

WASHINGTON—When it came time for China to join the World Trade Organization, the West left the door unlocked, and China pushed it open. China’s joining the WTO hasn’t induced political changes as expected, but has cemented the Communist Party in power. It set the backdrop for the 2008 financial crisis, and leaves the West with a superpower global rival antithetical to its values.

These are some of the arguments of Stewart Paterson, who came to Washington to launch his newly published book, “China, Trade and Power: Why the West’s Economic Engagement Has Failed,” on Oct. 23 at the National Press Club.

The Failure of Economic Engagement

Paterson said that while economic engagement was supposed to induce political change in China, the reality is that it is threatening the West’s political system.