PRESS RELEASE 
 
PRESS/TPRB/330 
2 June 2010 
 
(10-3050) 
TRADE POLICY REVIEW: CHINA 
Restructuring and further trad e liberalization are keys to 
sustaining growth  
The third WTO Review of China's trade policies and practices and their impact on the functioning of 
the multilateral trading system took place in Geneva on 31 May and 2 June 2010.1   
 
At a time of heightened trade tensions around the world as governments manage the economic consequences of last year's global recession and 12 percent drop in world trade flows, this Trade 
Policy Review (TPR) of China has highlighted the valuable role that the WTO's TPR Mechanism 
plays by increasing transparency, encourag ing consultation and cooperation among WTO 
Members, and helping to avoid misunderstandings and, ultimately, trade disputes when trade 
frictions arise.     
 A well-functioning multilateral trading system has contributed considerably to China's sustainable 
economic growth and development.  The global recession had a substantial adverse impact on 
China's economy as external demand fell shar ply from the end of 2008.  The Government's 
response of expansionary fiscal and monetary policies, including a Y4 trillion (13% of 2008 GDP) 
stimulus package, helped China's economic growth to rebound in 2009 and made an important 
contribution to global recovery elsewhere, particularly in the Asia region.    
The global economic crisis has reinforced China's determination to transform its pattern of 
economic development, including through structural diversification, improving the functioning of the domestic capital market and strengthening soci al safety nets for the population.   Looking 
ahead, as the Government pursues policies to increase the role of domestic demand in 
underwriting China's growth and to encourage the expansion of the services sector, further liberalization of the trade and investment regimes is called for to foster competition and achieve 
more efficient allocation of resources in the economy. 
 The TPR covered all aspects of China's trade policies and practices.  It was based on reports by the 
WTO Secretariat and the Chinese Government as well as an extensive and detailed exchange of 
views between China and other WTO Members invo lving more than 1,500 written questions.   
 
                                              
 
1 Periodic Trade Policy Reviews are carried out for each WTO Member to contribute to 
improved adherence to WTO rules, disciplines and commitments and to the smoother functioning 
of the multilateral trading system by achieving greater transparency in, and understanding of, each Member's trade policies and practices.  The next TPR of the United States will take place in 
September 2010.  TPRs for Japan and the European Union are scheduled for 2011. PRESS/TPRB/330 
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 There was widespread recognition of China's constructive role in resisting protectionist pressures 
and boosting global demand during the recent  economic downturn, appreciation for China's 
stepped-up involvement in South-South trade and its duty-free scheme for imports from least-developed countries, and acknowledgement that China has continued the gradual liberalisation of 
its trade and investment regimes, although seve ral members felt that this had slowed down 
compared to its pace in earlier years.    
Among the detailed issues covered were: 
 
• the importance of China continuing to im prove the transparency of its trade and 
investment policies and practices, building on current efforts to review, revise and amend 
its trade and trade-related laws 
• the need for the Government to continue reducing regulatory and other barriers to trade, 
especially customs procedures, technical regulations and  standards (including SPS 
measures) and certification practices, import licensing, and export restrictions (notably 
taxes and partial VAT rebates)  
• the benefit to China and to foreign suppliers of  faster liberalisation of China's services 
industries, such as banking, insurance, telecommunications and postal services, including the lifting of foreign investment restrictions and the adoption of more international 
standards in these industries  
• the importance of China accelerating its accession to the WTO Agreement on Government 
Procurement, given the increasingly important role that government procurement will play 
in China's economy 
• concern about China's indigenous innovation policies, and their effect in restricting access 
for foreign products, investors, technology and intellectual property 
• accelerating progress towards China's goal of comparatively high standards for intellectual 
property rights by 2020. 
 
The following documents are available in MS Wo rd format on the WTO web-site. They can be 
downloaded at http://www.wto.org/english/ tratop_e/tpr_e/tp330_e.htm  
• Secretariat report  
• Report by the Government of China 
• Chairperson's concluding remarks  
• Minutes of the meeting and written questions and answers (available approximately six weeks 
after the meeting). 
Note 
Trade Policy Reviews are an exercise, mandated in the WTO Agreement, in which member countries’ trade and related policies are examined and evaluated at regular intervals. Significant 
developments that may have an impact on the global trading system are also monitored. For each review, two documents are prepared: a policy stat ement by the government of the member under 
review, and a detailed report written independently by the WTO Secretariat. These two documents 
are then discussed by the WTO’s full membership in  the Trade Policy Review Body (TPRB). These 
documents and the proceedings of the TPRB’s meetings are published shortly afterwards.  
 
Print copies of the TPR publications are available for sale from the WTO Secretariat, Centre William Rappard, 154 rue de Lausanne, 1211 Genève 21 and through the on-line bookshop at 
http://onlinebookshop.wto.org/shop/articles.asp?Id_Rayon=38
 
or follow this path :  
www.wto.org >resources > publications > trade policy reviews  
 
The TPR publications are also available from our co-publisher Bernan  PRESS/TPRB/330 
Page 3 of 3 
 
 
Press, 4501 Forbes Boulevard, Suite 200, Lanham, MD 20706-4346, United  
States. Please call 1-800-865-3457 or e-mail: customercare@bernan.com.” 
Next reviews: 
Malawi: 9 and 11 June 2010 
Chinese Taipei: 5 and 7 July 2010 
 For a full list of previous trade policy reviews and the full programme of future reviews go to 
http://www.wto.org/english/trat op_e/tpr_e/tpr_ e.htm#reviews 
or follow this path : www.wto.org > trade topics > trade policy reviews  
 
 
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