Editor's Note:On December 11,2001,China officially joined the World Trade Organization(WTO),marking an important watershed in the development of China's relations with the world.

Over the past 20 years,China has fully fulfilled its commitments,continuously advanced reform and opening up,significantly enhanced its comprehensive national strength,and steadily increased its international status and influence.Meanwhile,the global economic and trade landscape has been evolving constantly,trade frictions have occurred from time to time,and globalization has faced headwinds.

Standing at this new historical juncture,how should we review the changes that China's accession to the WTO has brought to China and the world over the past 20 years?And how should we look ahead to the future of China's economic and trade relations with the world?In response,The Paper has launched a special report titled"When the Wind Rises Again"on the 20th anniversary of China's accession to the WTO.Through in-depth dialogues with a number of witnesses and scholars,it aims to provide more multi-dimensional perspectives.

In a few days,Tang Xiaobing will mark the first anniversary of his retirement from the WTO Secretariat.

On December 31,2020,Tang Xiaobing completed his position as a Senior Counselor in the Market Access Division of the World Trade Organization(WTO),becoming the first Chinese to work at the WTO until retirement.

However,in the year since his retirement,Tang Xiaobing has not been idle.Currently,he serves as a senior advisor at Kobre&Kim Law Firm.At the same time,he continues to participate in various WTO-related forums and conferences,sharing his experiences and viewpoints from his tenure at the WTO.

Recently,Tang Xiaobing gave an exclusive interview to a reporter from The Paper,sharing his stories of participating in China's resumption of GATT membership and his work at the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development(UNCTAD)and the WTO.

Tang Xiaobing(second from the right),former Senior Counselor of the Market Access Division of the World Trade Organization,as provided by the interviewee.

The following is the interview transcript:

The Paper:I heard that you were the first official in charge of China's work to resume its GATT membership.Could you talk about the situation before China formally applied for the resumption of GATT membership?

Tang Xiaobing:I joined the Ministry of Foreign Trade in 1978.In 1979,the Central Committee decided to restore China's seats in the Bretton Woods system,namely the International Monetary Fund(IMF),the World Bank(WB),and the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade(GATT).

The restoration of China's seats in the IMF and WB went relatively smoothly.On April 17,1980,the IMF announced a resolution to restore China's lawful seat in the IMF.On May 15 of the same year,China's lawful seats in the WB,its affiliated International Development Association,and the International Finance Corporation were restored.

Subsequently,it became urgent to restore China's seat in the GATT.

On May 20,1980,after reporting to the Second Section of the International Relations Group of the former Ministry of Foreign Trade,I immediately engaged in the preparatory work for the negotiations on restoring China's seat in the GATT.As the first official solely responsible for GATT work,I remember that my first task was to sort out,review,and finalize the Chinese versions of the results of the Tokyo Round negotiations and the nine agreements reached.

Although these agreements had already been translated into Chinese by our colleagues in the Trade and Development Section of the Chinese Mission to the United Nations in Geneva at that time,during the process of reviewing and sorting out the Chinese versions of the Tokyo Round negotiation results and the nine agreements,we faced difficulties similar to those encountered by developing countries during the"Kennedy Round"of multilateral trade negotiations,such as a lack of understanding and familiarity with the relevant regulations in the negotiations,a lack of knowledge of multilateral negotiation skills,insufficient support from information and statistical data,and a lack of understanding of the complex negotiation background.

We carried out a great deal of sorting work,hoping to clarify the relationship between China and the GATT as much as possible.In addition to retrieving documents from local archives and museums,in 1983,I also participated in inspection delegations organized by the Ministry of Foreign Trade to Hungary and Pakistan.

Moreover,in order to enable China's clothing and textile products to smoothly enter the global market,we applied to join the Multi-Fiber Arrangement(MFA),and I was involved in the negotiations throughout the whole process.

The Paper:China's accession to the Multi-Fiber Arrangement was earlier than its formal application for the resumption of GATT membership.Could you tell us the story behind it?

Tang Xiaobing:China's initial substantial contact with the GATT began in 1982 when China prepared to join the MFA.Although China had not yet restored its contracting party status in the GATT at that time,it could participate in the MFA.

The clothing and textile industry is of particular importance.We also believed that it should take the lead.By joining the MFA,we could learn how the multilateral trading system operates,as well as the methods of negotiation and consultation.Therefore,we regarded joining the MFA as a training opportunity.

In the autumn of 1983,the bilateral agreement on textiles between China and the European Community(now the European Union)was about to expire,and at the same time,we were also participating in the MFA negotiations.At that time,the Ministry of Foreign Trade sent two delegations,one to Brussels and the other to Geneva,and the negotiations for the two agreements were carried out almost simultaneously.

I remember that we once had a stalemate with the negotiation representative of the European Community in Geneva in a conference room for nine hours because neither side knew the progress of the bilateral negotiations during the mutual negotiations.The representative of the European Community insisted on waiting until the bilateral negotiations were completed before discussing the MFA.However,for China,if it could join the MFA,it would definitely be more flexible for trade with Europe compared to the bilateral agreement.

At that time,there were no mobile phones,and there were no such convenient communication means as today.We could only send faxes.Our colleagues would go out to make a call and then come back.As a result,with our insistence,the European side agreed to give us more flexibility in the use of quotas.

In order to secure more quotas for China's exports,we often had confrontations with the negotiation representatives of other countries during bilateral negotiations.I remember that sometimes,for the quotas of several hundred thousand shirts and 50,000 pairs of jeans,we could argue continuously for more than ten hours.The more quotas we could obtain,the more opportunities domestic enterprises would have.

On January 18,1984,China officially joined the MFA,and then began to comprehensively prepare for the work of resuming GATT membership.

At that time,apart from raw materials,the only products that China could export on the international market were textiles and clothing.China's first pot of gold from reform and opening up also came from the textile industry.It was precisely because of the large-scale export of textiles and clothing at that time that China accumulated the foreign exchange capital for reform and opening up.


Tang Xiaobing:At that time,in order to conduct MFA negotiations more effectively,developing countries established the International Textile and Clothing Bureau(ITCB).In April 1986,the Chinese government appointed me as an international textile trade expert to support their work.When the bureau was established,there were a total of five people,including two secretaries and three full-time staff members:besides me,there was an executive director and an economist.At that time,our office was located in several offices belonging to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development(UNCTAD).

An important goal of the ITCB was to strengthen South-South cooperation,coordinate the negotiation positions of developing countries in the GATT,and jointly strive to end the MFA and lift the textile quota restrictions to reach a clothing trade agreement that was more favorable to developing countries.After working in the ITCB for one year,the GATT launched the Uruguay Round negotiations.Developing countries lacked professional negotiation officials.The UNCTAD reached a consensus to help developing countries participate in the multilateral trade negotiations of the GATT.At the invitation of the Director of the Trade Division of the UNCTAD,I joined the UNCTAD secretariat to train trade negotiators for developing countries.

From November 1987 to July 2002,I worked in the Division on International Trade in Goods and Services of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development,engaging in trade policy,trade law,and multilateral trade negotiation work.

In August 2002,I came to work in the Market Access Division of the WTO,engaging in work related to the market access of non-agricultural products in the Doha Round,trade facilitation,information technology products,and other aspects of market access for goods trade.I worked there until the end of last year when I retired.

The Paper:What kind of assistance did the UNCTAD and other institutions and international organizations provide for China's WTO accession negotiations?

Tang Xiaobing:On the occasion of celebrating the 20th anniversary of China's accession to the WTO,we should not forget those international organizations and individuals who provided us with technical support and assistance during the most difficult periods of China's resumption of GATT membership/WTO accession negotiations,especially the valuable support and assistance from the UNCTAD's Technical Co-operation Programme on Multilateral Trade Negotiations.

From October 20 to November 2,1980,we invited Mr.Murry Gibbs,the person in charge of the UNCTAD's Multilateral Trade Negotiation Programme,to visit Beijing.He provided a very systematic and detailed introduction to the GATT rules,system,and history,the results of the Tokyo Round negotiations,the relationship between the economies of state trading countries and the GATT rules and multilateral trade negotiations,as well as the situation of the MFA.He also had discussions and exchanges with the participants on issues such as the reinstatement of China's seat in the GATT,whether to accept the nine agreements of the Tokyo Round,and the accession to the MFA.This was the first workshop/seminar organized by the UNCTAD on China's accession to the GATT.

In March 1987,the UNCTAD established a new multilateral trade negotiation assistance project to help developing countries actively and effectively participate in the GATT Uruguay Round multilateral trade negotiations.During the entire Uruguay Round,China,together with other developing countries and regions,received various technical assistance and support in building negotiation capabilities provided by this project.

In March 1992,at the request of the Chinese government,the UNCTAD's Multilateral Trade Negotiation Assistance Project,using approximately US$2 million in funds from the United Nations Development Programme,provided China with further,more comprehensive,more specific,and more targeted technical assistance through Project CPR/91/543.

This project successively held many seminars,forums,workshops,and training courses in China.It organized domestic and foreign experts,international consultants,and experts from international organizations to compile dozens of research reports and analytical papers.In addition,it also compiled teaching materials,monographs,and anthologies on the multilateral trading system and multilateral trade negotiations.It organized international experts or expert groups to visit Beijing to provide consultations on technical issues in areas such as tariff negotiations to relevant departments.

In addition to"bringing in,"there was also"going out."This project organized many Chinese trade officials to receive short-term training at foreign law firms and universities,participate in training courses,and attend seminars.It organized Chinese trade officials and researchers to conduct inspection visits to relevant countries on issues such as agricultural trade,state trading,and tariff quota management.

Moreover,this project helped the Chinese side establish a trade policy reference library,organized the development of a tariff negotiation software program to support the WTO accession negotiations,and also provided necessary office automation facilities.

The New Zealand government also set up a parallel project for this project:it organized two inspection delegations of Chinese senior trade officials from the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation and other government agencies to visit New Zealand to investigate and study issues related to New Zealand's trade policy and trade negotiations.

At the tripartite evaluation meeting at the end of the project,the United Nations Development Programme,the International Department of the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation,and the United Nations Conference on Trade all unanimously agreed that the implementation of the project was"satisfactory."

In 2002,Long Yongtu also affirmed the significance of the project in a letter to Rubens Ricupero,Secretary-General of the UNCTAD:The project has trained a large number of trade officials,trade negotiators,trade policy decision-makers,researchers,and enterprise representatives for China.Some of them have become senior officials and diplomats.The project has also compiled many valuable research reports and technical analysis papers on the fields and issues of crucial importance involved in the accession negotiations.Therefore,China has established a certain capacity in multilateral trade negotiations.

The Paper:China joined the WTO at the end of 2001,and you started working at the WTO in 2002.You almost witnessed the 20 years since China's WTO accession at the WTO.Why did you choose to work at the WTO?

Tang Xiaobing:After China's accession to the WTO,I was the first Chinese to start working at the WTO.At that time,I gave up my long-term contract with the UNCTAD.In August 2002,I chose to go to the WTO headquarters and entered the WTO Secretariat through registration and examination.

The reason why I chose to work at the WTO was that I wanted to have a deeper understanding of the WTO and the WTO Secretariat and to understand the operation mode of this multilateral trading system.At that time,I was mainly engaged in promoting the Doha Round of multilateral trade negotiations and trade facilitation work.I spent about two-thirds of each year attending various meetings and seminars around the world,providing technical assistance and consultations to developing countries.

In addition,starting from April 2005,I also served as the Secretary of the Information Technology Agreement Committee,responsible for coordinating the negotiations of the second Information Technology Agreement of the WTO.I did a lot of work for the success of the negotiations of this agreement.

The Paper:What impact has the WTO had on China?

Tang Xiaobing:When China was preparing for GATT membership resumption,it was at a crossroads of economic system reform.The reforms of local governments in China were very fragmented.Some wanted to establish special economic zones,and some proposed to establish separate customs territories.In such a situation,the rules of the GATT could at least serve as a reference for our economic system reform.

Personally,I think that China's accession to the WTO has maintained the unity of China's domestic market,and since then,the domestic market has had a unified foundation to rely on.Although the establishment of the WTO is related to changes in the world economic pattern,including those in China,China's reform and opening up has also drawn useful lessons from the WTO.In that situation at that time,only by resuming GATT membership could we manage various Chinese enterprises,localities,and interest groups.China has traditionally been a country that highly values commerce,and its accession to the WTO has given us an opportunity for development.

On the surface,the principles of the multilateral international trading system are very good,and the goals are also very good.The preambles of the GATT or the Havana Charter are all very beautiful words.However,the reality is different.The current state of the WTO has been shaped by changes in the international landscape and China's situation.China has also developed with the help of the WTO.If there were wars and chaos,could China still have such an opportunity?No!Therefore,all international mechanisms need to be balanced,and they are all the results of balance.

It is very difficult for the WTO to move forward without external changes and impetus.From the GATT to the current WTO,this is a significant leap.If there is to be another leap,some external conditions are needed.Therefore,we should pay attention to the study of international relations because international law is a result of international relations,a compromise,not the most ideal thing,and not necessarily what people originally desired.

The Paper:If you had to use one word to summarize the 20 years since China's accession to the WTO,which word would you choose?

Tang Xiaobing:Earth-shaking.China's accession to the WTO has indeed brought earth-shaking changes.

China's accession to the WTO has changed the pattern of the post-war multilateral trading system.Through the process of accession to the WTO,China has successfully developed its own economy and been able to successfully integrate into the world economy,becoming an important part of globalization.

Article source:The Paper,Reporter:Zhou Di.Original link:https://m.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_15820468