Uneasy Days of Push-and-Pull between China and the WTO: Recent Issues of China in the WTO

Abstract

As of February 2015, China's 12-year experience as a WTO member has induced an ambitious global vision as so-called 'New Silk Road Strategy', and its global status has leveled up as 'G2' of the world. In terms of global trade, consumers all over the world have gained from cheap Chinese goods, and Chinese growth has provided a huge market for other countries' exports. This paper briefly analyzes traditional issues concerning China's cases in the WTO in areas such as goods and services, intellectual property, dispute settlement, multilateral and regional trade agreements. It will also tackle China-related issues in the WTO under such topics as investment, competition, government procurement, trade finance, and labor and human rights. This paper concludes that China needs to be equipped with better enforcement of domestic rule of law and greater room for trade liberalization. Moreover, the WTO is expected to encourage and boost China's economic growth and institutional development, while China will continue to pose both new opportunities and threats to the multilateral trading system.