Some people think that "WTO will open the door", "WTO is a trap full of flowers" and "opening the financial industry is an open capital project", as if WTO would be a disaster.
Others believe that the date of China's accession to the WTO is the time when China will establish a market economy in an all-round way, so as to share the benefits of global trade and investment as much as possible, and it is very likely that there will be "two thousand gold after China's accession to the WTO".
The existence of this biased view is related to people's ignorance of the nature of the WTO and the specific negotiation contents of China's accession to the WTO. Joining the WTO will not bring disaster or prosperity overnight. After China's accession to the WTO, China's market will not be completely opened immediately, China's economy will not become a pure free market economy, the prices of domestic goods will not be fully in line with the international market, and foreign products will enter in large quantities.
In recent years, China has taken the initiative to reduce tariffs, not only to join the WTO, but also to meet the needs of China's own reform and opening up and participation in global economic integration. No matter when China joins the WTO, China will unswervingly implement the policy of opening to the outside world. Enterprises in China should conform to this trend and actively make preparations for joining the WTO, especially in terms of ideas, organizational efficiency, management skills and human resources, so as to enhance their competitiveness and meet the challenges of economic globalization in the new century.
At present, the trade rules system of the World Trade Organization (WTO) consists of three parts.
● Multilateral agreements on trade in goods, including 1994 General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), agreement on agricultural products, agreement on the implementation of sanitary and quarantine measures for animals and plants, agreement on textiles and clothing, agreement on technical barriers to trade, agreement on trade-related investment measures, agreement on pre-shipment inspection, agreement on rules of origin, agreement on import licensing procedures, agreement on anti-dumping, agreement on subsidies and countervailing measures, and agreement on safeguard measures;
Various annex rules, including General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS), Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights, Understanding on Rules and Procedures for Dispute Settlement, trade policy review mechanism, multilateral trade agreements (including civil aircraft trade agreements, government procurement agreements, international dairy products agreements and international beef agreements);
● Agreements reached during the development of ●WTO, such as information technology agreements, basic telecommunications agreements and financial service agreements.
At present, the second and third rules play an active role in trade negotiations among countries. For example, GATS has become an important rule that affects the trade environment and conditions of all countries in the world, and its rights reflect that it will play the same role as GATT clause under the comprehensive protection of WTO. The preface of GATS points out that all members hope to "establish a framework of multilateral service trade principles and rules on the basis of transparency and gradual liberalization to promote trade". Agricultural products agreement
China promised to reduce the average tariff of agricultural products to 17% within five years after its accession to the WTO. (The relevant Chinese commitments involved in this article are all made by China and the United States before the negotiation of this bilateral agreement. )
WTO agricultural trade rules involve market access, domestic support and export competition. Generally speaking, these contents can be summarized into three aspects:
(1) Tax non-tariff measures, that is, calculate the tariff equivalents of non-tariff measures to be cancelled and add these tariff equivalents to the existing fixed tariffs. After non-tariff measures are taxed, the tariff rate shall not be raised at will.
(2) Mutual concessions of bound tariffs, that is, each contracting party promises to make mutual concessions of bound tariffs according to a certain proportion. The average decline of developing countries is 24%, and the tariff reduction of each product is at least 10%, which will be completed within 10 years.
(3) Reducing subsidies, that is, reducing subsidies for agricultural products, mainly reducing subsidies for wheat, grain, meat, dairy products and sugar. Developing countries cut by 24% and 10 by 14% respectively.
Developing countries usually have a transition period of 10 years to implement their tariff reduction and subsidy reduction plans. After China promised to join the WTO, the average tariff of agricultural products will be reduced to 17% within five years (that is, before 2004), and the average tariff of agricultural products such as wheat will be reduced to 14.5%.
Opening up the agricultural products market, especially drastically reducing the tariffs on agricultural products protection, will not have a serious impact on China's agriculture as a whole, and it is unlikely to cross China's agricultural production system. First of all, China's agricultural reform in the past 20 years has achieved a solid agricultural production management and material foundation, which can resist strong external shocks. Secondly, the actual protection rate of agricultural products in China is much lower than the nominal protection rate. Even if China joins the WTO, it will not have a substantial impact. Thirdly, reducing tariffs on agricultural products and introducing foreign competition can stimulate domestic agricultural departments to improve efficiency and service quality, and urge them to provide higher quality products and services to domestic consumers. In this way, in turn, the security of domestic agricultural economy has been strengthened. Animal and plant health and quarantine measures
In the past, China banned the import of wheat, meat and citrus food from the United States. After negotiations, China agreed to sign three bilateral agreements with the United States to lift the import ban on American wheat, meat and citrus food.
● China's opening of domestic fresh fruit and food markets to the United States will have less impact on ordinary fruit farmers in China than on wheat production enterprises, but will have greater competitive pressure on fruit farmers who grow the same or similar varieties of fresh fruit in California.
This competitive situation is beneficial for China agricultural products production and processing enterprises to improve their professional level and participate in the international division of labor. anti dumping agreement
● A contracting party must conduct an anti-dumping investigation before taking anti-dumping actions, and the anti-dumping investigation can only be implemented after the industries claimed to be damaged in the territory of the importing country or their representatives submit a written application.
● Joining the WTO will enable China enterprises to make better use of the WTO dispute settlement mechanism to safeguard their own interests and avoid being abused by other trading partners to hinder the export trade of China products. At the same time, anti-dumping investigations can be conducted on foreign dumped products entering the China market according to WTO principles.
China's accession to the WTO will greatly stimulate trade growth, and enterprises such as clothing, textiles, shoes, luggage, toys, household appliances and daily products will become the main beneficiaries of China's accession to the WTO.
In international trade, dumping refers to the behavior of a member producer or exporter selling products at a price lower than the domestic market price or lower than the cost and entering the market of another member country. Dumping not only damages the competitive industries of importing countries, but also damages the normal international trade order. In order to maintain fair competition in international trade and prevent members from abusing dumping activities and anti-dumping measures, the WTO has formulated the anti-dumping agreement.
Since 1980s, because China is not a signatory to GATT or has not joined the WTO, and because domestic enterprises in China are competing to lower prices, which leads to disorderly and vicious competition, trading partners often conduct various anti-dumping investigations on China products or enterprises. For example, only 1990- 1994, there were 37 anti-dumping complaints against American exports to China, which affected China's export trade with the United States by hundreds of millions of dollars. Agreement on subsidies and countervailing measures to protect infant industries
For developing countries, export subsidies can be phased out within eight years after the entry into force of the Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures, but the existing level of subsidies cannot be improved.
After China's entry into WTO, China promised to make the biggest concession on the tariff level of the automobile manufacturing industry, and will cancel the automobile import quota in 2005.
● According to the Agreement on Trade-related Intellectual Property Rights, after China opens the domestic pharmaceutical market to a greater extent, Chinese pharmaceutical manufacturers will be impacted and the prices of western medicines will be greatly reduced.
After China's entry into WTO, it promised to make maximum concessions to the tariff level of automobile manufacturing industry. Before 2005, the import tariff of automobiles was reduced from 80- 100% to 25%, and the import tariff of automobile parts was further reduced to 10%. In 2005, the import quota of automobiles was abolished. financial service industry
● Financial services are defined as "any services provided by financial service providers of Contracting Parties to financial entities." Including all insurance and insurance-related services, as well as all banking and other financial services.
China promised that after China's accession to the WTO, American banks can provide all foreign exchange services to foreign customers immediately, and foreign banks will be allowed to operate RMB business within two years, and the number and geographical restrictions will be appropriately lifted.
● China promised that after China's entry into WTO, the proportion of foreign-owned shares of life insurance companies will reach 50% at the highest, and it will reach 565,438+0% one year after China's entry into WTO, that is, it will form a substantial controlling stake. Telecommunication service industry
● On the issue of market access, the focus of telecom service negotiation is not only to open up the telecom industry and introduce competition, but also whether foreign enterprises can equally participate in domestic telecom market services in the field of service provision.
● The Basic Telecommunication Protocol of ●WTO involves short-distance, long-distance and international telecommunication services such as voice telephone, data transmission, telex, telegram, text transmission, private line, mobile phone, mobile data transmission and personal communication, covering 93% of the telecommunication market. Each contracting party has made a commitment to realize the liberalization of the telecommunications industry, and has opened the telecommunications industry that has been protected for a long time to foreign competitors to varying degrees.
● The ●WTO Agreement on Trade in Information Technology Products stipulates that tariffs on computer and communication products will be completely abolished by the end of this century.
The Agreement on Information Technology Products is an important milestone in the process of information industry liberalization, and it is the largest formal agreement to reduce tariffs in the world trade system since the Uruguay Round of GATT ended in 199. It has reduced consumer spending by hundreds of millions and promoted competition in the rapidly developing information technology field.
According to the information technology agreement and basic telecommunication agreement of WTO, China promised to cancel the tariff restrictions on high-tech products such as semiconductors, computers, computer equipment and telecommunication equipment before 2 005 after its accession to WTO. Within six years after China's entry into WTO, the geographical restrictions on foreign investment in the import of pagers and mobile phones and domestic fixed-line telephone services will be abolished.
The positive impact of China's accession to the WTO far outweighs the negative impact.
● It is conducive to China's faster and better integration into the international economy and society. Due to the rapid development of science and technology and the existence of a relatively peaceful international environment after World War II, the trend of world economic integration and globalization is unstoppable. Further integrate into the international economic society, make better use of international resources and optimize resource allocation, and develop China's socialist market economy.
● It is conducive to playing a greater role in the international economic arena and safeguarding China's economic interests. Joining the WTO will give China a greater say in the international economic arena and make greater contributions to establishing a fair and rational new international economic order and safeguarding the interests of developing countries.
● It is conducive to closer economic and trade relations between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait and to promoting China's economic system reform and opening up. This will give a strong impetus to China's economic system reform and opening to the outside world, and will also promote the rule of law in the market.
● It is conducive to improving China's international trade environment. After China's entry into WTO, China, as a developing country, can obtain multilateral unconditional MFN treatment and universal preferential treatment, which is conducive to the diversification of the market and the substantial growth of China's export trade. At the same time, due to the reduction of tariffs, the reduction or abolition of non-tariff barriers, and the opening of the service market, import trade will also rise sharply.
With the unification and general improvement of the investment environment and the great attraction of China's potential market, the total amount of foreign direct investment will increase substantially, and the sources of foreign investment will be further diversified. China will gradually lift all restrictions on foreign enterprises and give them national treatment, which will help consumers get better and cheaper services.
● Conducive to the fair and reasonable settlement of trade disputes. Since China is not a party to the WTO at present, China's exports are often discriminated against.
● It is beneficial to stimulate the competitive consciousness of China enterprises. After China's entry into WTO, the pressure of competition will prompt state-owned enterprises to speed up the adjustment of economic structure and product structure, and accelerate the process of reorganization, reorganization, union and merger. The decline in the price of imported raw materials is conducive to reducing the production costs of some enterprises, thus improving the competitiveness of enterprises.
● Conducive to technological progress. As a developing country, China urgently needs foreign advanced technology.
Of course, the above doesn't mean that China doesn't need to pay any price for its accession to the WTO, only there are advantages and no disadvantages. There is no such thing as a free lunch
After China's entry into WTO, China's economy will be more closely integrated into the world economy, China's products will be more dependent on the international market, and China's fixed capital investment will also be more dependent on the international capital market.
With more multinational companies entering China, with the further rise of foreign capital and foreign-funded enterprises in China's national economy, and China's macroeconomic policies and management must meet the requirements of WTO multilateral agreements and regulations, it will make China countries' macroeconomic regulation and control more difficult.
When foreign products enter the China market more freely and cheaply, it will certainly have a certain impact on some industries, such as chemical and pharmaceutical industry, machinery industry, automobile industry, some electronic industries and communication equipment manufacturing industry.
Strengthening the protection of intellectual property rights will also make it difficult for some enterprises that have long-term infringement or lack innovation ability and brand to survive by imitation.
● Opening the service market is an important obligation promised by China after its entry into WTO. The General Agreement on Trade in Services requires all contracting parties to finally implement unconditional MFN treatment and national treatment for trade in services. The service industry will face strong challenges from foreign counterparts and will have to give up a certain market share, resulting in the problem of "fat water flowing into outsiders".
● Opening the agricultural product market will gradually increase the import of agricultural products, which will put some pressure on the development of China's agriculture.
China has worked hard to restore GATT status and join the WTO for 13 years. Black hair is white hair. To this end, China has made great concessions, including not only the above areas, but also other service areas.
There is no doubt that China will join the WTO as a developing country, and China's participation is based on the principle of balance of rights and obligations. China has two positive attitudes: first, in terms of market access, it will, as always, implement a gradual market opening model; Second, there will be no concessions in the future.
However, after China's entry into WTO, the import of automobiles, electronic products and some high-end consumer goods will increase, which will put pressure on domestic related products and other production enterprises. China has a huge market and a material foundation formed after 20 years of reform and opening up, which can withstand this impact to a certain extent. After a period of adjustment and adaptation, it will form new competitiveness.
Joining the WTO is in the interest of China's reform and opening up, and the China government is sincere. In observing international practices and rules, China signed the Uruguay Agreement, which fully demonstrated China's sincerity in fully observing the existing international practices and rules. In terms of market opening, since 1992, China's tariffs have dropped by more than 60%, and China has promised to reduce the total tariff level to 15% by 2000.
However, it never shows that China is begging for WTO entry, and China will have a good life without WTO entry. Without multilateral trade, China can develop bilateral trade with other countries in the world. Moreover, China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the soon-to-be-established Macao Special Administrative Region both have irreplaceable positions in the WTO. In fact, the WTO has no choice but to be influenced by China. As Xin Qiji, a famous poet in the Song Dynasty, wrote, "Castle Peak can't cover itself, after all, it flows eastward". There are advantages and disadvantages, and the trend is still unstoppable. It can be said that China's point of view is essentially the WTO's own point of view: unity is beneficial, while division is harmful.