According to figures released by the World Bank, about 13 per cent of the world's economic growth can be attributed to the working of the Chinese economy.

In multilateral trade, China has sustained big trade deficits, which can be considered contributions to the multilateral trade system. China's deficits stemming from its trade with ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) are expanding, for example.

Pascal Lamy, WTO secretary-general, said that China has kept its promise to cut tariffs, shown strong momentum in exports, which account for 30 per cent of its GDP, and is widely considered a responsible big country by other WTO members.

It should be noted that China has reaped a wealth of intangible assets since it joined the WTO five years ago. In the course of bringing Chinese economic rules and regulations in line with international practice and in coping with trade frictions that have cropped up time and again, Chinese Government departments and enterprises have learnt and accepted internationally accepted economic and administrative operational principles and concepts. More important, they are applying in practice what they have learnt and accepted.

Some standardized trade principles, management rules and service standards have become ingrained in the minds of Chinese managers. And the ideas and concepts associated with all this have become integrated in the consciousness of Chinese people. Chinese citizens are becoming increasingly aware of safeguarding their own rights, transparency, justice and fairness.

For the international community, the contributions made by China since it became a member of the WTO not only help promote economic exchanges between other countries, but also make people see that China's WTO membership helps make the world more secure as well as prosperous.

Yan Fu, the renowned Chinese enlightenment thinker active in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, observed: "A nation is put on the brink of doom by the ignorance of what is going on beyond its boundaries." His remark reveals the devastating effects when a country lives in seclusion. Deng Xiaoping, the architect of China's reform and opening up, said that reform and opening up are integral, stressing that there would be no reform in the absence of opening up.

In commemorating the fifth anniversary of China's WTO membership, we should see that there are many twists and turns in store for us in the future and that we should, therefore, get prepared for them so that our journey on the WTO ship sails in the right direction.

The author is a researcher with the China Foundation for International and Strategic Studies

(China Daily 12/11/2006 page4)

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