RESTRICTEDWORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONWT/MIN(01)/SR/3
10 January 2002
(02-0120)
MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE
Fourth Session
Doha, 9 - 14 November 2001
SUMMARY RECORD OF THE THIRD MEETING
Held at the Sheraton Convention Centre, Doha, Qatar
on Saturday 10 November 2001 at 3 p.m.
Chairpersons: H.E. Mr. Kimmo Sasi (Finland)
(up to the statement by Norway under agenda item 1)
H.E. Mr. Tomás Dueñas (Costa Rica)
(for the remaining statements under agenda item 1)
H.E. Mr. Youssef Hussain Kamal (Qatar)
(for the Accession the People's Republic of China under
agenda item 2)
Subjects:
1. General statements (agenda item 1)
2. Accession of the People's Republic of China (agenda item 2)
1. General statements (agenda item 1)
The following statements were made:
Austria H.E. Dr. Martin Bartenstein
Federal Minister for Economic Affairs
  and LabourWT/MIN(01)/ST/30
Costa Rica H.E. Mr. Tomás Dueñas
Minister of Foreign TradeWT/MIN(01)/ST/31
Norway H.E. Mr. Jan Petersen
Minster of Foreign AffairsWT/MIN(01)/ST/32
New Zealand The Honourable Jim Sutton
Minister for Trade NegotiationsWT/MIN(01)/ST/33
Spain H.E. Mr. D. Rodrigo de Rato y Figaredo
Second Vice-President and
  Minister of EconomyWT/MIN(01)/ST/34WT/MIN(01)/SR/3
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Uruguay H.E. Mr. Gonzalo Enrique
  Gonzalez Fernandez
Minister of Livestock, Agriculture
  and FisheriesWT/MIN(01)/ST/35
Egypt H.E. Dr. Youssef Boutros Ghali
Minister of Economy and Foreign TradeWT/MIN(01)/ST/36
Thailand H.E. Dr. Adisai Bodharamik
Minister of CommerceWT/MIN(01)/ST/37
Senegal H.E. Mrs. Aichatou Agne Pouye
Minister of Small- and
  Medium-Sized Enterprises and TradeWT/MIN(01)/ST/38
Indonesia H.E. Mrs. Rini M.S. Soewandi
Minister of Industry and TradeWT/MIN(01)/ST/39
Bangladesh H.E. Mr. Amir Khosru Mahmud
  Chowdhury
Minister for CommerceWT/MIN(01)/ST/40
Mauritania H.E. Mr. Ould Mohamed Lemine
Ambassador, Permanent Representative
  To the WTOWT/MIN(01)/ST/41
Slovak Republic H.E. Mr. Peter Br ňo
State Secretary of the Ministry of EconomyWT/MIN(01)/ST/42
Romania H.E. Mr. Cristian Colteanu
Secretary of State, Head of Department of
  Foreign Trade and Economic Promotion,
  Ministry of Foreign AffairsWT/MIN(01)/ST/43
Czech Republic H.E. Mr. Miroslav Somol
Deputy Minister of Industry and TradeWT/MIN(01)/ST/44
Hungary H.E. Mr. Péter Balás
Deputy Secretary of State, Ministry of
  Foreign AffairsWT/MIN(01)/ST/45
Ecuador H.E. Mr. Richard Howard Moss Ferreira
Minister of Foreign Trade, Industry  and Fisheries and CompetitivenessWT/MIN(01)/ST/46
Portugal H.E. Mr. Luis Braga da Cruz
Minister of EconomyWT/MIN(01)/ST/47
Chile H.E. Mr. Heraldo Muñoz
Under-Secretary of Foreign RelationsWT/MIN(01)/ST/48
OECD
(Observer)Mr. Herwig Schlögl
Deputy Secretary-GeneralWT/MIN(01)/ST/49WT/MIN(01)/SR/3
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The following statements were circulated:
Japan H.E. Mr. Tsutomu Takebe
Minister of Agriculture, Forestry
  and FisheriesWT/MIN(01)/ST/26
Latvia Mr. Maris Riekstins
Secretary of State, Ministry of Foreign AffairsWT/MIN(01)/ST/50
International Textiles
and Clothing Bureau
(Observer)Statement circulated by the ITCB WT/MIN(01)/ST/27
World Organization for
Animal Health
(Observer)Statement Circulated by the OIE WT/MIN(01)/ST/28
Pacific Islands Forum
(Observer)Mr. W. Noel Levi, CBE
Secretary GeneralWT/MIN(01)/ST/29
2. Accession of the People's Republic of China (agenda item 2)
The CHAIRMAN said that in dealing with requests for accession under agenda item 2, the
Ministerial Conference would be proceeding in line with the Decision-Making Procedures under
Articles IX and XII of the WTO Agreement ag reed in November 1995 (WT/L/93) and would thus
seek a decision on the basis of consensus.  Turning to the accession of the People's Republic of China,
he recalled that in March 1987, the GATT 1947 Council had established a working party on China's
status as a GATT 1947 contracting party.  Having regard to the Decision adopted by the GeneralCouncil on 31 January 1995, the GATT 1947 Accession Working Party had been transformed into a
WTO Accession Working Party.  The Report of the Working Party was now before the Ministerial
Conference in document WT/MIN(01)/3 and Add.1 and 2.
Mr. Girard (Switzerland), Chairman of the Working Party, introducing the report, said that the
Working Group had carried out an examination of the foreign trade regime of China during the
period 1987-2001.  China had also carried out market access negotiations with interested Members on
goods, including agricultural products, and services.  The results of all the negotiations, constituting
the terms of China's entry into the WTO, were contained in the following documents: the Report of
the Working Group (WT/MIN(01)/3, also circulated  as WT/ACC/CHN/49 and Corr.1);  the Schedule
of Concessions and Commitments on Goods (WT/MIN(01)/3/Add.1, also circulated as
WT/ACC/CHN/4/Add.1 and Corr.1);  and the Sche dule of Specific Commitments on Services
(WT/MIN/01)/3/Add.2, also circulated as WT/ACC/CHN/49/Add.2).  This accession package had
been adopted by the Working Party at its meeting on 17 September 2001 on an ad referendum  basis.
By that action, the Working Party had completed its mandate and had forwarded the documentation to
the General Council for onward transmission to the Ministerial Conference for decision as
appropriate.  The Appendix to the Report reproduced the draft Decision for the MinisterialConference and the draft Protocol of Accession of the People's Republic of China to the Agreement
Establishing the World Trade Organization.  In accordance with usual WTO practice, the Protocol of
Accession incorporated the specific commitments unde rtaken by China in the Report of the Working
Party.
He wished to pay tribute to the efforts, g oodwill and spirit of compromise shown by all
Members and China to overcome the difficulties encountered in this accession process with diligence
and pragmatism.  As Chairman of the Working Party he recommended the Report of the WorkingWT/MIN(01)/SR/3
Page 4
Party, as well as the draft Decision and Protocol of Accession for approval by the Ministerial
Conference.
The Ministerial Conference approved the text of the Protocol of Accession of the People's
Republic of China (Annex of WT/L/433), and in accordance with the Decision-Making Procedures
under Articles IX and XII of the WTO Agreement agreed in November 1995 (WT/L/93), adopted the
Decision on the Accession of the People's Republic of China (WT/L/433).  The MinisterialConference then adopted the Report of the Wo rking Party in document WT/MIN(01)/3 and Add.1
and 2.
Mr. Shi Guangsheng, Minister for Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation of the People's
Republic of China, speaking as an observer , said that this historical moment had finally come  after
15 years of difficult negotiations.  On behalf of his Government, he wished to express appreciation to
the Ministerial Conference for adopting the Decision on China's accession to the WTO, as well as to
all Members and the Chairman on the Working Party on China, for their support over the past years.
The accession to the WTO and its full participation in the multilateral trading system were strategic
decisions made by the Government of China under the accelerated economic globalization.  China'slong-standing and unremitting efforts for resuming its GATT contracting party status and for acceding
to the WTO had demonstrated its resolve and confid ence to deepen its reform and to open further to
the outside world.  China's accession, which was not only in the interest of China but also of all
Members, would be conducive to the development of the multilateral trading system and would exert
a widespread and far-reaching impact on its economy and on the world economy in the new century.As a WTO Member, China would abide by its obligations and would exercise its rights.  China's
accession would strengthen mutually beneficial economic and trade relations with Members.  China
would play an active and constructive role in the multilateral trading system and would make a
positive contribution to the progress of the world economy and trade together with other WTO
Members.
China had first participated in the Uruguay Round Negotiations initiated in September 1986
and had witnessed the historical transformation of the multilateral trading system from the GATT to
the WTO.  Meanwhile, China's accession negotiations to the multilateral trading system over the past
15 years had been an integral part of its reform and its opening up.  Three basic conclusions could be
drawn from that process:  first, one could benefit from the economic globalization only by
participating in the multilateral trading system w ith a positive stance;  second, within the economic
globalization environment, one could safeguard its economic security while opening up to the outside
only by establishing its economic and trade regime in line with international practices and the specific
situation of its country;  third, the multilateral trading system could maintain its vitality only by
constantly adapting itself to the development and changes of the world economy and by reflecting the
interests and requirements of all, including developing countries.
The road from Seattle to Doha was not an easy path and had generated reflections.  Two years
ago, the Seattle Ministerial Conference had failed to launch a new round of multilateral trade
negotiations.  In the rapid development of economic globalization, Members should carry out
effective coordination and management over the ever widening and complicated internationaleconomic trade activities.  They should  face up the obvious defects of the existing multilateral trading
system so as to reflect the interests of developing countries more adequately.  They should formulate
international trade rules of the new century through equal participation and consultation, so as to
enable more developing countries to share the opportunities resulting from economic globalization
and to avoid the further widening of the gap between rich and poor and the marginalization of somecountries.  China supported the launch of a new round of multilateral trade negotiations on a basis of
full consideration of the interests and reasonable requirements of developing countries.  A new round
should be conducive to:  first, the establishment of a fair and reasonable international economic new
order;  second, the development of the world economy as well as trade and development facilitation;
and third, the achievement of a balance of interests between developed and developing countries.  ToWT/MIN(01)/SR/3
Page 5
achieve these goals, Members should ensure that in the new round full consideration be given to the
development level of developing countries.  Pragmatic and effective measures should be adopted to
guarantee the implementation of the Uruguay Round Agreements.  All-round and effective
participation of developing Members should be guaranteed and both the identification of the issues
and the negotiations should be based on consultations on an equal footing.  A balanced and overallapproach should be taken to ensure that the results of the negotiations reflected an overall balance of
the interests of various parties.  The new century was full of opportunities and challenges.  Members
should work together to meet these challenges, strengthen the multilateral trading system and make
continued contributions to the stability and development of the world economy and trade.  Finally, on
behalf of his Government, he expressed appreciation to the Government of Qatar for its hard work for
the Fourth Ministerial Conference of the WTO.
All representatives who spoke welcomed the Minister for Foreign Trade and Economic
Cooperation of the People's Republic of China, Mr. Shi Guangsheng and other members of the
Chinese delegation, and the accession of  the People's Republic of China and looked forward to
working with the People's Republic of China in the WTO.  They expressed appreciation and gratitude
to the Chairman of the Working Party for his efforts in steering this complex process, as well as to
Members and to the Chinese delegation for their flexibility at crucial moments of the negotiations.
Most of the representatives who spoke said that China's accession would strengthen the multilateral
trading system and would make the WTO a truly universal organization.  The representatives of
Cameroon, Canada
, Chile , Estonia , Greece , Kenya , Kyrgyz Republic , Morocco , Peru , Slovenia ,
Sri Lanka, Sweden , Uruguay , Cape Verde  (as an observer) and the Russian Federation  (as an
observer) wished to be placed on record as welcoming and supporting the accession the People'sRepublic of China.
1
The representative of the United States said that for nearly 15 years, Members had been
negotiating with China with the goal of bringing the world's most populous country and one of the
world's largest economies into the international trading system.  By adding China to the WTO,
Members strengthened the organization by further integrating China's 1.2 billion people and one
trillion dollar economy into the world market network.  This step represented great progress for
China, the WTO and the world trading system.  The United States congratulated China on its efforts
to reach this point and he also wanted to recognize the long labours of his predecessor,
Mrs. Barshefsky, who had worked hard for this historic day.  It had been a long process for China.
Beginnings could be traced back to 1978, when China had taken the first steps to reform through theinjection of market principles into the agricultural sector.  Membership in the WTO with its rules,
standards and markets could only add to China' s development, based until now largely on internal
reforms, by strengthening and widening China's opening to the outside world and encouraging the
entrepreneurial dynamism of its people.  As China's accession process was now completed, another
significant process was beginning to successfully integrate China into the WTO rules-based system.China faced the difficult challenge of revising its laws and regulations and reforming a wide range of
practices in order to implement its commitments.  China's leaders and officials understood that
implementation of its commitments would be a daunting challenge.  Members would have to work
with China and, for example, through the transitiona l review mechanism, would have to watch closely
to ensure that the changes brought by China's accession to the world trading system would strengthen
                                                     
1 In their respective statements under agenda item 1, other representatives also welcomed and
supported the accession of the People's Republic of China.  These were, among others, Angola, Argentina,
Austria, Bahrain, Barbados, Belgium on behalf of the presidency of the European Union, Benin, Bolivia,Burundi, Côte d'Ivoire, Cyprus, Denmark, Dominica, Egypt, The Gambia, Guinea, Guyana, Iceland, Ireland,
Israel, Jamaica, Jordan, Kuwait, Luxembourg, Madaga scar, Malawi, Malta, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia,
Netherlands, Nicaragua, Norway, Paraguay, Portugal, Si erra Leone, Solomon Islands, Saint Lucia, Saint
Vincent and the Grenadines, Sudan, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, Venezuela, Zambia,Zimbabwe, Belarus (as an observer), Nepal (as an observer), Viet Nam (as an observer) and Yemen (as anobserver).WT/MIN(01)/SR/3
Page 6
the system in accordance with its commitments.  China's reformers had embraced the far-reaching
obligations of WTO membership.  They understood that accession did not entail paying a price but
rather that opening markets would bring a change in  China's interests.  China had demonstrated that
the combination of free markets at home and its opening to competition and investment from abroad
could dramatically raise production, productivity and standards of living.  Consistent with this spirit,they had been a strong voice in supporting new global trade negotiations and the United States was
happy that China was already playing a constructive part in the principal challenge of this meeting.
Fair and more open trade were not a zero sum game.  It did not mean that, when one country benefited
another should suffer.  All Members would benef it greatly from today's decision.  They would have
expanded access to China's market, enjoy trade based on internationally accepted rules and also
benefit from the stability and predictability resolving from China's adherence to WTO rules.  As this
century unfolds, people looking back on this day w ould conclude that in admitting China to the WTO,
Members had taken a decisive step in shaping the global economic and commercial system.  This had
been done by recognizing and strengthening China's reforms, by normalizing the economic interaction
with one of the world's most important trading powers and by moving the WTO closer towards the
day where it would include all the world's economies.
The representative of the European Communities said that although Members were only at the
beginning of the Ministerial Conference, they already had a first achievement to celebrate.  Members'
decision on China's accession was historic and was the WTO's greatest leap towards becoming a
universal organization.  These long and arduous accession negotiations had taken a full 15 years to
complete.  In retrospect, the history of these negotiations had also been the history of China's ownreform process in its gradual opening up and its integration into the world economy.  The phenomenal
7 per cent compound average annual growth rate, which was expected to continue in the future,
testified the success of the government's economic policies.  People in China were, on average,
four times as wealthy today as they had been in 1978 when the open door policy had started.  This
was a unique achievement for a country of that size.  Even if these negotiations had been difficult forboth China and WTO negotiators alike, Members could pride themselves on the achieved results.
The representative of Korea said that China was one of Korea's closest neighbours in terms of
geography, history, as well as current economic in teractions and cooperation.  Members' decision on
the accession of China had great significance in several respects.  Historically, it was monumental that
Members had agreed to accept China here in Qata r.  Looking back, China had been actively engaged
in trade between the East and the West, and Qatar was in the centre of the Arab world with a proudhistory of reaching out in both directions to the East and the West.  Moreover, this new membership
brought in the world's seventh largest trading nation and one-fifth of the world's total population
under the umbrella of the WTO.  China's accession offered the WTO a critical boost in pursuing its
goal of achieving free and open trade throughout the world.  China's accession process had not been
without difficulties and challenges, but the world as a whole had gained enormously with China's
accession to the WTO.  China's dedication and commitment to the causes of free and market economy
were most impressive.  China had convinced the world that it believed that free trade and market
economy were the best possible means to achieving prosperity for itself and for the world.  Korea had
been an early dedicated supporter of China's membership to the WTO.  Korea was confident that with
its dedication and active membership, China would help the WTO to further develop and strengthenitself in this new millennium.
The representative of Mongolia said that China's accession process had been long, difficult
but challenging for all Members.  China's negotiated package would be a great contribution to the
world trade and economy.  Mongolia commended China's reforms towards liberalization of itseconomy and trade.  The membership of China, one of the largest partners in the world and the largest
economy in Asia, would promote the regional integration and economic growth in Asia and the
Pacific.  China's membership to the WTO would be beneficial to all Members, and foremost to
neighbouring countries like Mongolia, which was looking forward to greater opportunities and
expanded trade relations with it.  Members' decision on the accession of China would mark a new andWT/MIN(01)/SR/3
Page 7
significant event in the history of the world trade community and would be one of the important
positive results of this Ministerial Conference.
The representative of Pakistan said that this was a historic day for Members, China and the
WTO.  Fifteen  years of intensive negotiations had been required to finalize the Protocol of Accession
of China to the WTO.  The complexity of this process could also be discerned from the fact that the
process had started even before the WTO had come into existence.  Pakistan enjoyed the closest and
time-tested friendship with China.  The conclusion of the accession negotiations owed much to
China's flexibility at all levels in the marathon bilateral and multilateral negotiations.  China's
accession would have significant implications for the WTO and the multilateral trading system.
China's participation in the WTO would help to strengthen the ongoing endeavour of the developing
countries to secure a better reflection of their economic priorities and trade interests, and also to helpthe multilateral trading system reach new heights.  With their decision on China's accession, Members
had significantly enlarged the ambit of the rules-based multilateral trading system.  Pakistan hoped
that after this first positive step, Members would arrive at a successful completion of the Ministerial
Conference, so that all could look  forward to a better tomorrow.
The representative of India said that the final collective step by Members in adopting the
terms and conditions of China's membership to the WTO was a historic event.  It was well known that
India had consistently supported China's accession to the WTO.  India had strong and long-standing
trade, political and cultural relations with China a nd looked forward to furthering these relations with
China as a WTO Member.  China's accession negotiations had already brought to light a number ofcommon interests and concerns across a wide spectrum of areas dealt with in the WTO.  India would
have many occasions for developing common approaches to steer the future work of the WTO.
The representative of Japan said that the accession of China, whose population was as large as
one-fifth of the world's population, was a very importa nt milestone in the history of the GATT and the
WTO.
The representative of Cuba said that since the beginning of this process, Cuba had
systematically lent its support to China's fair demands, given its condition as a developing country and
founder of the GATT.  The accession process, which had been completed after 15 years of
negotiations, should serve as an example to eliminate the obstacles blocking the accession of other
developing countries to this organization.  Cuba hoped that China's participation in the WTO would
be an important qualitative step in the analysis of the serious problems currently facing international
trade with an approach based on equal opportunities for all countries, eliminating existing imbalances
and inequalities.
The representative of New Zealand said that this was a significant milestone for this
Ministerial Conference and the WTO.  New Zealand had been the first western developed country to
sign off bilaterally with China way back in 1997 and was therefore very happy to see China's
accession being formally endorsed by Ministers here in Doha.  New Zealand looked forward to the
constructive role that China would play in the multilateral setting of the WTO.  New Zealand saw
powerful evidence of this in the APEC context this year in Shanghai.  New Zealand would now moveits focus away from China's accession to the interests that New Zealand shared with China across all
issues in the WTO setting, particularly the elimination of export subsidies in agriculture.
The representative of Spain said that China was home to one-fifth of the world's population
and was today participating in a historic event, which had led it to become a WTO Member.  Over the
years all had seen the transformation of China to a more modern and developed country.  Exports had
increased significantly and large amounts of foreign capital had been brought into China, thus making
it one of the most prosperous countries of the world.  Today, China had unequal potential in the
medium- and long-term.  Various analysts and international organizations had said that China could
be one of the leading powerhouses of the world, if not number one, in 20 years time in absolute terms.WT/MIN(01)/SR/3
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Over the last 10 years, growth in China had been up to about 9 per cent and, at present, was around
7 per cent which was an enviable growth rate in terms of other countries.  China' accession to the
WTO was a transcendental event for China and for all Members.  He was convinced that today's
success boded well for the success of this meeting in other areas.  China had a high level of
investment and had been opening up traditionally closed areas.  This had had a multiplier effect onChina's economy, as well as on the economy of other countries.  In acceding to the WTO, China could
increase its GDP significantly.  Since the outset, Spain had supported China's accession to the WTO
and had provided bilateral support as well as through the European Union.  During its presidency in
the next semester, Spain would be paying particular attention to the first steps of China as a Member.
China's accession was a clear signal that its Government intended to continue its efforts to abide by
the market rules and to increase its trade and invest ment flows between itself and the rest of the world.
The representative of Romania, speaking on behalf of the CEFTA countries and Croatia,
Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia, said that this historic occasion would mark the beginning of a valuable
and fruitful cooperation with China in the context of WTO activities.
The representative of Hong Kong, China said that this event was an important milestone in
China's modernization process.  It demonstrated China's determination to deepen its economic
reforms, to further open up its economy and to achieve further integration into the world economy.
As stated on a previous occasion, China's membership to the WTO did not affect Hong Kong's
participation in the WTO as a separate Member under the name "Hong Kong, China".
The representative of Thailand, speaking on behalf of ASEAN Members , said that with
China's membership world trade volume should be increased when trade with China would come
under the WTO rules and disciplines.  ASEAN had a long history of excellent trade relations with
China and its accession to the WTO would help increase trade flows with ASEAN.
The representative of Australia said that Australia had a strong and growing bilateral
relationship with China, which was its third largest trading partner.  Australia looked forward to the
continuation of a close and cooperative working relationship with China in future multilateral trade
negotiations, securing further economic benefits and trading opportunities.  The finalization of China's
membership into the WTO and thus its integration into the multilateral trading system would further
enhance global trade and prosperity.  China would be able to benefit from Members' concessions and
obligations and in turn Members would benefit from those made by China on both goods and services.Further, China's commitment to bind agricultural export subsidies at zero sent a strong and positive
signal to the importance of eliminating trade distortive measures.
The representative of Mexico, also speaking on behalf of the Latin American countries
, said
the multilateral trading system had gained in stature with the incorporation of a greater number of
developing countries, including China, which was the largest of them.  He hoped that China's
accession would become a major opportunity for the development of international trade given the fact
that China supported a new round of negotiations.  Given the uncertainty in international trade,
China's accession to the WTO sent a signal and attest ed to the fact that the world wanted to achieve
success in development and international trade.
The representative of Brazil said that these accession negotiations had been far from simple.
Brazil had been a first hour supporter of the accession of China, a country with which it maintained
and shared a strategic partnership.  This stance had been maintained throughout the process when
solutions to the difficulties had been worked out, both in the bilateral and multilateral front.  Brazil
had signed a bilateral agreement with China almost two years before the conclusion of the whole
accession process.  Brazil hoped that China would clear its internal procedures in a short time in order
to enable it to fully participate in the WTO's deliberations.WT/MIN(01)/SR/3
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The representative of Colombia said that China's accession was an event that would mark the
history of international trade.  Several years from  now, this day would be remembered as the first
milestone in the 21st Century, there would be no trade barriers for products from China in any markets
and China would not be closed to international trade.  China and Latin America were far apart
physically but extremely close in terms of their respective needs for economic and educationaldevelopment and progress for the benefits of their peoples.  China's accession was important to the
international economy and to the multilateral trading system and, in particular, to developing
countries for all the hopes they invested in China.  This was an example of a country which was at the
start of a transition period from a poor country towards an increasingly developed one.
The representative of Nigeria, speaking on behalf of the African countries
, said that the fact
that China's accession negotiations had taken 15 years was a clear indication that China knew exactly
what it wanted out of the multilateral trading system.  This also confirmed that the accession process
itself was difficult and should be simplified.  Only China could withstand this.  China had been
working closely with Africa and the G77 countries over all these years.  As a developing country,
China would strengthen the voice of developing countries in the WTO.  China had trade and
economic relations with Africa and its membership to the WTO would thus bring one of Africa'strading partners into the multilateral trading system.
The representative of Mauritania said that China's accession was an important step for the
organization on the road to universality and the word "world" in the title of the World Trade
Organization had more weight than it had in the past.
The representative of Papua New Guinea said that China was a major trading partner of Papua
New Guinea.  China's accession to the WTO was a bonus for all Members as it strengthened the
multilateral trading system.
The DIRECTOR-GENERAL said that this was a defining moment in the history of global
economic and political relations.  The world had now changed for the better.  In this context, it was
also important that China was ambitious and wanted  new trade negotiations with development at the
centre.
The Ministerial Conference took note of the statements and expressions of support.
The CHAIRMAN then informed the Ministerial Conference that the Signing Ceremony of the
Protocol of the Accession of China to the Wo rld Trade Organization would take place on Sunday,
11 November 2001 at 19.30 in Hall Al Majlis.  A Press Conference would immediately follow the
Signing Ceremony in the same Hall.
The meeting adjourned at 7.50 p.m.
__________