why China joined the WTO

Ye Xiaowen (Ye), vice president of Central Institute of Socialism and former director of State Administration of Religious Affairs

I've consulted one of my former schoolmates, Long Yongtu, the chief negotiator of China's accession into the World Trade Organization. I wondered why he was so occupied by his work, and asked why China must join the WTO.

He gave me an example: If a farmer comes to the market with a load of farm produce, he goes home when he sells his vegetables. When his business becomes something bigger, he may have a vegetable stall, or a small shop, or even chain stores and supermarkets, and he must get to know and abide by the market rules, in order to fight for and protect his own rights. So he is bound to join the trade organization, observe its rules, and take part in the rule-making.

Today, the farmer has become the CEO of the world's largest supermarket, China's foreign trade exports are the first in the world, and we have joined the WTO, and opened to the world.