Corporation and Investment, WTO and International Trade, E-Commerce/Digital Trade,
Before joining Gaopeng, Mr. Tang worked in the United Nations and the WTO for 35 years.
From August 1, 2002 to December 31, 2020, Mr. Tang worked in the Market Access Division of WTO as a senior counselor. He was responsible for the negotiations on market access for non-agricultural products (NAMA) of the Doha Round, including drafting provisions and agreements, and their subsequent implementation; responsible for the negotiations on trade facilitation measures, including draft provisions and the implementation of the Trade Facilitation Agreement; and responsible for the negotiations and implementation of the Information Technology Agreements, including the entire negotiating and legal drafting process of the 2015 ITA Expansion Agreemen from the very beginning to the end. He was an expert in these areas and agreements at the WTO.
From November 1987 to July 2002, Mr. Tang worked in the Goods, Services and Commodities Division of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), responsible for the formulation of trade policies, trade laws and multilateral trade negotiations. He participated in the entire process of the Uruguay Round multilateral trade negotiations.
From March 1986 to October 1987, Mr. Tang worked in the Division of Manufactures of UNCTAD, and later on in the International Textiles and Clothing Bureau (ITCB) as an international textile trade expert in charge of trade policy and trade negotiations on textiles and clothing.
From February 1978 to March 1986, Mr. Tang worked in China’s Ministry of Foreign Trade of and Economic Cooperation (MOFTEC, now the Ministry of Commerce), responsible for the negotiations of China's accession to the GATT Multi-fiber Textiles Agreement (MFA), as well as the early preparations leading to China’s subsequent accession to the WTO.
University of International Business and Economics International Trade (Formerly Beijing Institute of Foreign Trade),Beijing, China
Pace University Law School; NY, USA International Trade Law
- Chinese
- English
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2021 12/16
When the Wind Rises Again | Exclusive Interview with Tang Xiaobing: From the First Person in Full Time to the First Person in WTO Entry
Editor's Note: On December 11, 2001, China officially joined the World Trade Organization. This day has become an important watershed in the development of China's relations with the world.
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2021 12/10
Valuable support and assistance from United Nations agencies for China's "WTO accession" negotiations (Part 2)
Editor's Note: The GATT centered multilateral trading system established after World War II has always been a "club for the wealthy.". Developing countries' participation in the multilateral trading system often has limited capacity and a shortage of talent. The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development has implemented the "Technical Cooperation Assistance Programme for Multilateral Trade Negotiations" for many years to provide technical assistance to developing countries. China is no exception. Thirty five years ago, China proposed to restore its seat in the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade. Since then, until the establishment of the WTO, China has benefited greatly from this assistance program. On the occasion of commemorating the 20th anniversary of China's accession to the WTO, Tang Xiaobing, a consultant to Gaopeng Law Firm, wrote this memorial article as the specific executor of the plan that year.
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2021 12/07
Valuable support and assistance from United Nations agencies for China's "WTO accession" negotiations (Part 1)
Editor's Note: The GATT centered multilateral trading system established after World War II has always been a "club for the wealthy.". Developing countries' participation in the multilateral trading system often has limited capacity and a shortage of talent. The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development has implemented the "Technical Cooperation Assistance Programme for Multilateral Trade Negotiations" for many years to provide technical assistance to developing countries. China is no exception. Thirty five years ago, China proposed to restore its seat in the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade. Since then, until the establishment of the WTO, China has benefited greatly from this assistance program. On the occasion of commemorating the 20th anniversary of China's accession to the WTO, Tang Xiaobing, a consultant to Gaopeng Law Firm, wrote this memorial article as the specific executor of the plan that year.
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2021 11/24
Shi Hai Goushen: China's First Person in the Postwar Multilateral Trade System GATT (Part 2)
Editor's Note: This year marks the 20th anniversary of China's accession to the WTO. The predecessor of the WTO was the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), which had been in operation for 46 years. The history of China and GATT/WTO is tortuous and tortuous. China is a founding contracting party to the GATT. After the founding of New China in 1949, the Taiwan authorities announced their "withdrawal" from the GATT in 1950. In 1965, the Taiwan authorities participated in the GATT activities as observers. After the restoration of China's seat in the General Assembly in 1971, the GATT invited representatives of the Taiwan authorities to leave. In 1986, China applied to restore its seat as a contracting party to the GATT. In 1995, the GATT was replaced by the WTO. In that year, China applied to join the WTO, and until the end of negotiations in 2001, it became a member of the WTO.
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2021 11/18
Shi Hai Goushen: China's First Person in the Postwar Multilateral Trade System GATT (Part 1)
Editor's Note: This year marks the 20th anniversary of China's accession to the WTO. The predecessor of the WTO was the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), which had been in operation for 46 years. The history of China and GATT/WTO is tortuous and tortuous. China is a founding contracting party to the GATT. After the founding of New China in 1949, the Taiwan authorities announced their "withdrawal" from the GATT in 1950. In 1965, the Taiwan authorities participated in the GATT activities as observers. After the restoration of China's seat in the General Assembly in 1971, the GATT invited representatives of the Taiwan authorities to leave. In 1986, China applied to restore its seat as a contracting party to the GATT. In 1995, the GATT was replaced by the WTO. In that year, China applied to join the WTO, and until the end of negotiations in 2001, it became a member of the WTO.
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2021 08/16
Digital Trade: The United States Ignores Multilateralism and Takes the Lead in Engaging in Small Circles
In January 2019, 76 WTO members, including China, issued a joint statement to officially launch e-commerce negotiations. This is a spontaneous discussion and negotiation among some WTO members, not a multilateral negotiation initiated by the WTO, nor a plurilateral negotiation under the WTO framework. According to the proposals of all parties, the negotiations mainly focus on the following issues: trade facilitation, such as electronic signature, electronic invoice and payment, paperless trade, customs clearance, etc; Cross-border data flows, data storage locations, the Internet, and data access; Consumer protection, privacy protection, and business trust (source code, etc.); Transparency, network security, regulation; Product updates and tariff enforcement for the Annex to the WTO Information Technology Agreement. During the negotiations, the main positions of developed countries in the United States, Europe, and Japan are summarized as follows: In terms of cross-border data flow and data localization, the United States, Europe, and Japan advocate prohibiting localization requirements and supporting the free flow of data; Expand products under the Information Technology Agreement and prohibit the application of non national treatment and substantive market access restrictions in computer and telecommunications services; Strengthen the intellectual property protection of source code, and one party shall not require the transfer or use of software source code owned by the other party; The exemption order for electronic transmission shall be permanent, and the exemption scope shall include two aspects: transmission content and electronic transmission services; Protect privacy and advocate government data disclosure.
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2021 06/16
Trade and Environment: WTO Agreement on Environmental Products is expected to restart negotiations
The global environmental degradation caused by climate and environmental change has become a common problem faced by all mankind. Among them, the environmental impact of the cross-border flow of goods and services, that is, international trade, has also been the focus of the multilateral trading system. As early as 35 years ago, in the Uruguay Round negotiations initiated by the then General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, the contracting parties began negotiations on trade and environment issues and made the "Decision on Trade and Environment". The WTO, which was later established to implement this decision, established the Environment and Trade Commission in the WTO, which is specifically responsible for discussing environmental and trade issues. Since the establishment of the WTO, in the absence of multilateral rules, some developed countries have deliberated and prepared to implement measures in their domestic laws to raise tariffs on products imported from countries with low environmental standards. For example, the EU is about to implement a "carbon tariff" on imported products. Another example is the Trump government's assertion that products produced without meeting environmental standards are considered subsidies and can be subject to a countervailing tax. Without a fair and equitable international trade rule, the environmental policies of developed countries are prone to discrimination against the trade activities of other countries, especially developing countries. For decades, WTO members have been seeking a fair and equitable balance between trade and the environment in order to achieve the goal set out in the Agreement on the Establishment of the World Trade Organization, namely, "to seek measures that not only protect and maintain the environment, but also adapt to the needs of their respective economic development levels."