China's accession to the World Trade Organisation in 2001 was a highly significant event both for China and for the wider world. This book argues that, although at the time some people doubted the likely benefits, China's WTO accession has been highly successful. It discusses how China has abided by its commitment to WTO terms and how WTO membership has contributed to China's reform and opening up; explores how vastly increased co-operative exchange with many countries around the world has been mutually beneficial in a range of fields including trade, science and culture; and shows how China's WTO membership has been a great stimulus both for China's economy and the world economy. The book considers the subject from a number of perspectives, and draws out lessons for future reform and development for China, and for China's relations with the rest of the world, emphasising the need to maintain a win-win approach.

An examination of China’s participation in the World Trade Organization, the conflicts it has caused, and how WTO reforms could ease them China’s accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2001 was rightly hailed as a huge step forward in international cooperation. However, China’s participation in the WTO has been anything but smooth, with China alienating some of its trading partners, particularly the United States. The mismatch between the WTO framework and China’s economic model has undermined the WTO’s ability to mitigate tensions arising from China’s size and rapid growth. What has to change? China and the WTO demonstrates that unilateral pressure, by the United States and others, is not the answer. Instead, Petros Mavroidis and André Sapir show that if the WTO enacts judicious reforms, it could induce China’s cooperation, leading to a renewed confidence in the WTO system. The WTO and its predecessor, the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, are predicated on liberal domestic policies. They managed the previous accessions of socialist countries and big trading nations, but none were as large or powerful as China. Mavroidis and Sapir contend that for the WTO to function smoothly and accommodate China’s unique geopolitical position, it needs to translate some of its implicit principles into explicit treaty language. To make their point, they focus on two core complaints—that Chinese state-owned enterprises (SOEs) benefit from unfair trade advantages, and that domestic companies, private as well as SOEs, impose forced technology transfer on foreign companies as a condition for accessing the Chinese market—and they lay out specific proposals for WTO reforms. In an age of global trade disputes, China and the WTO offers a timely exploration of unprecedented challenges to the current multilateral system and fresh ideas for lasting solutions.

Offers a multidisciplinary, systematic assessment of China's twenty years in the WTO, highlighting the opportunities and challenges that China presents.

The rise of China signals a new chapter in international relations and international law. How China interacts with the international legal order--namely, how China utilizes international law to facilitate and justify its rise and how international law is relied upon to engage a rising China--has invited growing debate among academics and those in policy circles. This book, for the first time, provides a systematic and critical elaboration of the interplay between a rising China and international law.

This book analyzes the benefits of and legal concerns in connection with the delegated legislation of the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone as a prime example of experimental legislation in Chinese law. It offers solutions for improving the legal design of experimental regulations in Special Economic Zones by striking a balance between the pursuit of rapid socio-economic progress on the one hand, and the increasing need and will to govern by the rule of law on the other. The book offers a valuable guide for the academic community and legal practitioners, as well as students eager to gain insights into Chinese constitutional law and the conflict between legality and achieving reforms.

‘As a student of international relations and a former diplomat, Zhang brings the insights of a practitioner and the eye of scholar to explain why Chinese actors choose to engage in aid cooperation with traditional donors in the Asia-Pacific. This book is among the first to take a holistic approach to understanding the motivations of the many agencies involved in China’s aid program, and it will challenge the expectations of many readers.’ —Dr Graeme Smith, The Australian National University ‘This book breaks new ground by examining a little-known dimension of China’s foreign policy: trilateral aid cooperation. Denghua Zhang sets this highly original analysis in the context of the new assertiveness of Chinese foreign policy under Xi Jinping, the China International Development Cooperation Agency established in 2018, and the Belt and Road Initiative, which now serves as the framework for Chinese overseas aid and engagement. At a time when the debate in the West about the rise of China has intensified, not always knowledgeably, this book fills an important gap in our understanding of China in Southeast Asia and the Pacific.’ —Dr Stewart Firth, The Australian National University ‘This thoroughly researched work examines trilateral cooperation as a new and interesting aspect of China’s growing international aid program, and as a window into the changing nature of that program as well as the wider foreign policy in which it is embedded. The broad themes and topics discussed are clearly significant, ultimately touching on one of the most important international issues of our time, the implications of the rise of China for a long-established Western-dominated international system.’ —Prof. Terence Smith-Wesley, University of Hawai‘i

The prosperity of China’s people has advanced very much in recent decades. However, in many respects China is still a developing country, and this is especially true of rural areas where economic progress has not been as marked as in urban areas and where many people still live in relative poverty. The Chinese government recognizes that more hard work is needed in order to improve prosperity in the countryside. This book provides a systematic and comprehensive analysis of the situation in China’s rural areas, assesses the effectiveness or otherwise of current policies, and puts forward proposals for further development. Subjects covered include the changing population profile of rural areas, land ownership, agricultural improvements, and local self-government.