Bai Ming, deputy director of international market research at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, said Vietnam, admittedly, has seen much development since its accession to the World Trade Organization in 2006, just like China did after joining the world trade body in 2001.

中国国际贸易经济合作研究院国际市场研究所副所长白明说，无可否认，自2006年加入世界贸易组织以来，越南取得了很大的发展，就像中国2001年加入世贸组织后一样。

This year marks the 20th anniversary of China's accession to the WTO.

今年是中国加入世贸组织20周年。

We have benefited significantly from China's reform and opening-up, and the country's accession to the World Trade Organization also brought a lot of opportunities for us.

From its accession to the World Trade Organization to the launch of the Belt and Road Initiative, China has evolved into a main stabilizer and powerhouse of the world economy.

"Since its accession to the WTO more than 20 years ago, China has become the world's largest trader of goods and a major trading partner for over 140 countries and regions, contributing an average of nearly 30 percent to the world's annual economic growth.

This aligns with international high-standard economic and trade rules and also supports China's swift accession to the WTO Agreement on Government Procurement.

The obstacles to China's accession into the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership primarily exist in two aspects: the gap between China's current level of openness and that required by the CPTPP, and the potential disruption from geopolitical issues.

Most of the CPTPP provisions will not create accession obstacles for China.

In August 2022, the country set up a working group to advance talks on joining the DEPA, and launched negotiations on its accession to the agreement.

Addressing the 2023 APEC Ministerial Meeting in San Francisco, Wang Shouwen, China's international trade representative and vice-minister of commerce, said that APEC should actively promote the upcoming 13th Ministerial Conference (MC13) of the World Trade Organization to resume the operation of the dispute settlement mechanism, reinforce food security, achieve temporary tariff exemptions for electronic transmissions and facilitate accession of new members.

The two sides also exchanged views on China's accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for the Trans-Pacific Partnership, an international trade agreement, as well as supporting new members to join the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement.

Addressing the 34th APEC Ministerial Meeting in San Francisco from November 14 to 15, Wang Shouwen, China international trade representative and vice-minister of commerce, said that APEC should actively promote the achievements of the 13th Ministerial Conference (MC13) of the World Trade Organization on resuming the operation of the dispute settlement mechanism, food security, temporary tariff exemption for electronic transmissions and accession of new members.

With APEC playing a key role in supporting the world's economic recovery, He Yadong, spokesman for the Ministry of Commerce, said early this month that China will take proactive steps to advance its accession into the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership and the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement.

Speaking at a ministerial meeting between China and the DEPA member countries in San Francisco on Tuesday, Wang Shouwen, China international trade representative and vice-minister of commerce, said the Chinese government attaches great importance to joining the DEPA, actively advancing the accession process, proactively aligning with high-standard international economic and trade rules, as well as steadily expanding institutionalized openness in terms of rules, regulations, management and standards, said an online statement released by the Ministry of Commerce on Wednesday.

Since the formation of the DEPA working group for China's accession in August 2022, Wang emphasized that there have been ongoing and meticulous communications at various levels between China and the member countries, resulting in positive progress in the negotiations.

China is taking proactive steps to advance its accession into the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership and Digital Economy Partnership Agreement, the Ministry of Commerce said on Thursday.

China has taken the initiative to exercise pilot programs on par with the CPTPP standards in pilot free trade zones where conditions are ripe, as well as in Hainan Free Trade Port, He said, adding that China is now in communication and consultation with CPTPP member economies following the accession procedures.

In addition, a working group on China's accession to DEPA was established in August last year to fully launch the negotiations, and China is currently having in-depth exchanges with member economies on relevant issues of the agreement, He said.

Most "China shock" studies suggest that in the first 10 years since China's accession to the World Trade Organization, the most severe shock was felt by labor-intensive sectors such as textiles, clothing and furniture that were already experiencing declines in employment due to low levels of workforce education and low investment in research.

Reiterating China's resolve to further expand the network of high-standard free trade zones, Guo said the country will promote accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement and the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement in a proactive manner.

China will also focus on strengthening rule alignment and high-quality implementation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership pact, advancing its accession to the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement, and progressing in the process of joining the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, said Chen.

These steps will also bolster China's plan to advance its accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership and the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement, they said during a news conference held by the State Council Information Office.

As it pursues interconnected development with other countries, China has honored its WTO accession commitments by opening up its market to the rest of the world and sharing its development opportunities with all, making itself a major trading partner of over 140 countries and regions.

"The government has conducted in-depth research and evaluation of more than 2,300 articles of the CPTPP, and sorted out the reform measures and laws and regulations that need to be modified for China's accession to the CPTPP," Wang said.

China's accession to the partnership would bring benefits to all members of the CPTPP and add new impetus to trade and investment liberalization in the Asia-Pacific region, said the Ministry of Commerce.

Zhang Jianping, head of the Center for Regional Economic Cooperation at the Beijing-based Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, said, "China's potential accession to the CPTPP would bring tangible economic benefits to the participating countries and further bolster economic integration of the Asia-Pacific region.

The Chinese government has submitted the documents for China's accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, and China has both the willingness and capability to join the CPTPP, a senior government official said on Saturday.

The government has conducted in-depth and comprehensive research and evaluation on more than 2,300 articles of the CPTPP, and sorted out the reform measures and laws and regulations that need to be modified for China's accession to the CPTPP, vice-commerce minister Wang Shouwen said during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation China CEO Forum held in Beijing.

China's accession will bring benefits to all members of the CPTPP and add new impetus to trade and investment liberalization in the Asia-Pacific, Wang said.

China looks forward to enhancing practical cooperation with DEPA members while advancing accession negotiations, with the aim of facilitating the early implementation of more projects, he added.

Following China's accession to the WTO, this and many other restrictions have been abolished.

Active efforts need to be made, as Chinese President Xi Jinping stressed, to facilitate China's accession to the DEPA, so does guidance given for China's relevant work, Wang said.

On Aug 18, 2022, China set up a working group to advance talks on joining the DEPA, and launched negotiations on its accession to the agreement.

China's accession to the RCEP marks a significant achievement in its 20-year history with the WTO.

"For example, China's potential accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership would see the nation's consumer base triple and also result in a 1.5-fold expansion of the pact members' total GDP, Ministry of Commerce data show.

China's potential accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership would bring tangible economic benefits to participating countries and further bolster economic integration of the Asia-Pacific region, said experts and business leaders.

They made the remarks after Wang Shouwen, vice-minister of commerce, said China has both the willingness and capability to join the CPTPP and called on member countries to support its accession.

Speaking at a news conference in Beijing on Sunday, Wang emphasized that China's accession to the CPTPP would be in the best interests of the country, all CPTPP members, and the economic recovery of the Asia-Pacific region and the world as a whole.

As a member of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership agreement, China's potential accession to the CPTPP could further enhance economic integration and cooperation among member countries, and contribute to the recovery of the global economy, said Wang Huiyao, president of the Beijing-based think tank Center for China and Globalization.

Addressing a news conference in Beijing on Sunday, Wang emphasized that China's accession to the CPTPP would be in the best interests of the country, all CPTPP members, and the economic recovery of the Asia-Pacific and the world as a whole.

The official hoped that all CPTPP members will support China's accession, which would result in a tripling of the consumer base of CPTPP members and a 1.5 times expansion of the pact members' total GDP.

Although this pact is relatively small in scale, China's proposed accession to this agreement would underscore the importance of cooperation in rule-making for trade in digital services and the digital economy.

This year's Government Work Report has proposed to proactively promote China's accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, a regional free trade treaty.

To further align itself with high-standard international rules, China has pledged to continue to advance its accession into the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership and the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement.

He also noted that the country is actively advancing its accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, carrying out negotiations on joining the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement, and signing free trade agreements with more willing trading partners.

- China has been expanding its free trade area network since its accession to the World Trade Organization in 2001, Shu Jueting, spokeswoman for the Ministry of Commerce, said Thursday.

In addition to launching the procedure for Belarus' accession, and also admitting Bahrain, the Maldives, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Myanmar as new dialogue partners, the meeting adopted the Comprehensive Plan for the Implementation of the SCO Treaty on Long-Term Good-Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation for 2023-27.

China hopes that all parties concerned will get ready for the accession of new members after the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement enters effect for 18 months, as stipulated in the pact, according to a senior commerce official.

China's accession to the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement will promote further opening up of digital trade, establish an integrated digital trade market with common rules and compatible standards and expand mutual cooperation in digital fields with other countries.

With China establishing a working team in late August to push its accession to the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement to broaden the latter's role in developing international rules for the digital economy, trade in services can be a key driving force for the country to sustain its economy and cultivate fresh competitive advantages in the coming years.

Even though the scale of the DEPA is relatively small at present, China's likely accession to this agreement could highlight the need for cooperation on rule-making in trade in digital services and the digital economy.

Nation seeks to join 3-country digital group for innovation, developmentChina's latest effort to push its accession to the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement or DEPA will help transform the agreement into a bigger platform where countries can develop international rules for digital governance, thereby paving the way for open and fair conditions to bolster regional economy, business experts said on Friday.

Going forward, China will conduct in-depth accession negotiations with other members within the framework of its accession to the DEPA, and strive to join it as soon as possible, so as to reinforce cooperation with other members in the field of the digital economy and promote innovation and sustainable development, said the statement.

In the process of promoting its accession, China and the DEPA member countries conducted dialogues at all levels.

As digital technologies like cloud computing, big data and artificial intelligence increasingly interact with the real economy in the process of upgrading traditional industries in many parts of the world, China's DEPA accession will not only offer its members access to a huge market but also demonstrate the country's willingness to integrate further into the Asia-Pacific economy and beyond, said Sun Fuquan, vice-president of the Chinese Academy of Science and Technology for Development in Beijing.

China has established a working team to push its accession to the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement, the Ministry of Commerce said in an online statement on Friday.

Going forward, China will conduct in-depth accession negotiations with other members within the framework of its accession to the DEPA, and strive to formally join the digital pact as soon as possible, so as to strengthen cooperation with other members in the field of digital economy, promote innovation and sustainable development, said the statement.

In the process of promoting its accession, China and the DEPA member countries conducted dialogues at all levels, held more than ten special ministerial-level talks, two chief negotiator meetings, and four technical-level informal consultations, the ministry said.

Asked for comments on such reports, Shu said China always honors its accession commitments to the World Trade Organization, complies with the WTO agreement on subsidies and countervailing measures, and has already fully removed prohibited subsidies.

In the face of a more complex and severe external environment, Gao said China will continue to advance its accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement on Trans-Pacific Partnership and the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement, and adhere to high-standard international economic and trade rules.

The trade pact includes a provision that allows for "accession by any state or separate customs territory 18 months after the date of entry into force".

"The RCEP has an open accession clause for any state or separate customs territory.

"After our accession, local manufacturing, especially in high-end industry, will benefit not only from tariff reductions but also from the unified rules of origin," he said.

Having fully delivered on its accession commitments to the WTO and firmly abided by its rules, China has been widely recognized and commended by WTO members, the official noted.

Currently, China is in talks with CPTPP members following the trade pact's accession procedures, he added.

Since its accession to the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), China has actively taken part in NSG matters and assumed its membership rights and obligations.

Wang made the remarks in a video speech to the APEC China CEO Forum, an event celebrating the 30th anniversary of China's accession to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum.

Wang made the remarks via video link in an address to the APEC China CEO Forum 2021, an event celebrating the 30th anniversary of China's accession into the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation.

Nation's accession to the organization beneficial to domestic, foreign playersThe 20th anniversary of China's accession to the World Trade Organization marks a significant milestone for the Chinese economy as the nation continues to promote high-level opening-up, and is taking the lead in upholding and helping build multilateral economic and trade rules, officials and experts said during a forum to celebrate the anniversary in Beijing on Thursday.

There is no other country like China that has made such remarkable achievements after accession to the WTO.

Since its accession, the nation has turned into the world's second-largest economy and the biggest trading country.

"Since the accession to the WTO, China has lowered tariffs in many sectors.

China National Machinery Industry Corp, also known as Sinomach, a centrally administered State-owned manufacturer of industrial equipment, said that since China's accession to the WTO, the company has truly turned into a multinational company that operates business globally.

Considering the development of domestic industries and changes in supply-demand conditions, the country will raise import and export tariffs from Jan 1 on some commodities within the range of its accession commitments to the World Trade Organization, said the circular.

- All economies have benefited from China's accession to the World Trade Organization, Pascal Lamy, a former WTO director-general, told French daily Le Monde recently.

Their comments came as this month marks the 20th anniversary of China's accession to the WTO, while the tone-setting annual Central Economic Work Conference, which concluded on Friday, also urged more proactive efforts to align with the high standards of international economic and trade rules, deepening reform via high-level opening-up, and boosting high-quality development.

According to Wang Shouwen, vice-minister of commerce, China has cut its overall tariff rate from 15.3 percent to 7.4 percent in the past 20 years, lower than the 9.8 percent accession commitment.

Tu Xinquan, dean of the China Institute for WTO Studies at the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing, said, "China has benefited from its accession to the WTO, but more important, by joining the multilateral trading system, it has enhanced the operational efficiency of the world economy and improved the use of global resources, making a huge contribution to international economic growth.

"China's accession to the WTO enabled the nation to incorporate its own resources, including labor, land and natural assets, to the global economy at a much deeper level and on a much larger scale, accelerating the nation's economic growth, Tu said.

Okonjo-Iweala made the remarks via video link during a high-level session marking the 20th anniversary of China's accession to the WTO, held on the sidelines of the fourth China International Import Expo and Hongqiao International Economic Forum last month in Shanghai.

It cut its overall tariff rate from 15.3 percent to 7.4 percent during this period, lower than the 9.8 percent accession commitment.

The nation has opened some 120 subsectors in the services industry, compared with its accession promise to open 100, according to the Ministry of Commerce.

On Nov 10, 2001, the WTO Ministerial Conference approved China's accession to the World Trade Organization, and the country became a legal member on Dec 11.

During the past 20 years, China has fully delivered on its accession commitments to the organization, with concrete actions to continuously expand opening-up.

Henry Gao, the first Chinese lawyer in the World Trade Organization that China joined in 2001, said the world's second-largest economy has not only implemented its accession commitment well but made a notable contribution to helping improve the multilateral trading system.

After its accession, China has played an increasingly important role in global trade, as well as in upholding global multilateral trade, Zhang said at the WTO headquarters in Geneva.

According to Zhang, China's accession to the WTO has provided policy stability and predictability for its trading partners, and its integration into economic globalization has provided the world with a huge market space.

As a witness of China's accession to the WTO, Zhang said that "China is undoubtedly a big beneficiary as a WTO member.

"China's accession process to the WTO coincided with the time when the country was accelerating its transition from a planned economy to a market economy," Zhang noted.

Multinational corporations touted China's contributions to the global economy since the country's accession to the World Trade Organization two decades ago, calling it a signature move and a milestone for China's opening-up.

"Back in 2003, only two years after China's accession to the WTO, Honeywell relocated its Asia-Pacific headquarters to Shanghai, established the company's largest R&D center in Asia and launched 'East for East' and 'East to Rest' development strategies for our China business," Lien said.

"China's accession to the WTO has actually forced Chinese companies to grow faster to deal with the fierce impact of international brands," Li said.

"He added that the WTO accession also provided local enterprises with access to global capital, design, R&D, talent and resources.

The significance of China's accession to the WTO is that it established the basic framework and development direction of the market economy from an institutional perspective, making it more in line with international standards, said Ai Zhouping, president of German technology company Heraeus' China unit.

In addition, the WTO accession has facilitated two-way flows of capital, talent and technology.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of China's accession to the World Trade Organization.

-- People who witnessed China's accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO) 20 years ago would have never expected the "Double Eleven" today would be a totally different sight in this country.

-- "WTO accession has proved to be one of the most important economic events in the history of China and the modern world, which has created a win-win outcome for China and the world," said Yi Xiaozhun, WTO's former deputy director-general.

People who witnessed China's accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO) 20 years ago would have never expected the "Double Eleven" today would be a totally different sight in this country.

On Nov 11, 2001, Shi Guangsheng, then Chinese Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation, signed the protocol on China's accession to the WTO in Doha, and a month later, China formally became a WTO member -- a landmark event in the country's opening-up and development and the world's multilateral trading system.