Introduction to the "WTO & China: Beijing International Forum"

 The WTO & China: Beijing International Forum, a forum of the highest level in China to explore the topic of the interaction between WTO and China, is the last annual big event that Beijing sees every year. This annual forum has been successfully held ever since 2001.

The WTO & China: Beijing International Forum aims to keep track of the WTO progress, negotiations on market access, and events and disputes that have great impact on China's economy, and to provide analyses on China's WTO-related policies and suggestions that help facilitate the Chinese enterprises to seize the opportunities for development in a broader market.

The WTO & China: Beijing International Forum has won much support from the central government from its onset. Among the senior government officials who attended the forums are Vice Premier Ms. WU Yi, Vice-Chairman of the National People's Congress Standing Committee Mr. CHENG Siwei, Vice-Chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Mr. JING Shuping, Vice Directing Member of the Finance and Economics Commission of the National People's Congress Mr. SHI Guangsheng, Vice-Minister of the Ministry of Commerce Mr. YU Guangzhou, Mayor of the Beijing Municipality Mr. WANG Qishan, Vice-Mayor of the Beijing Municipality Mr. ZHANG Mao, Vice-Mayor of the Beijing Municipality Mr. LU Hao, Former Vice-Minister of the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation and Secretary General of BO'AO Asia Forum Mr. LONG Yongtu, and former Vice-Minister of the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation and former Chief Negotiator for China's WTO Entry Mr. TONG Zhiguang.

The WTO & China: Beijing International Forum has also attracted the attention of the international organizations such as the WTO and UNCTAD. The WTO sent its delegation of senior officials to present papers at the forums. In 2003 Dr. SUPACHAI Panitchpakdi paid a formal visit to China as Director General of the WTO and delivered a speech at the forum on the significance of the DOHA Round back on track and an outlook on the prospect. Other officials from the international organizations who attended the forums include Deputy Director General of the WTO Dr. Rana, Director of Division on Globalization and Development Strategies of UNCTAD Mr. Yilmaz Akyuz, Director of Trade and Finance Division of the WTO Mr. Richard Eglin, Professor of the Monterey Institute of International Studies and pioneer of the modern theory on trade in services Mr. Geza Feketekuty, Professor of John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University Mr. Pieter Bottelier, and Lead Economist of the Development Research Group of the World Bank Mr. William Martin. Among the Chinese experts who presented papers for the forums are Economist and President of Guanghua Management College at Beijing University Mr. LI Yining, Director of the Institute of Finance and Trade Economics of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences Ms. JIANG Xiaojuan, and Director of the Department of Development Strategy and Regional Economy of the State Council's Development Research Center Ms. LI Shantong.

More than 6000 people have attended the previous forums. They were top-level government officials, researchers, economists, lawyers and managers from Chinese and foreign enterprises in the fields of finance, telecommunication, commerce, manufacturing, education and agriculture.

The domestic mass media including TV stations, websites, newspapers and journals had in-depth reportages on the forums.

As the authoritative WTO forum in China, WTO & China: Beijing International Forum is always a focus of the domestic mass media's coverage with nearly 100 media services reporting the 2003 forum activities.