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| Chinese People Expecting WTO Entry |
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SAT, NOV 10, 2001
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The reviewing and passing of the protocol of China's accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO) is scheduled to begin Sunday in Doha, Qatar.
This event, just like Beijing's bid to host the 2008 Olympic Games, has captured the attention of Chinese people nationwide --a striking contrast to the public response 15 years ago when China applied for the resumption of its signatory status in GATT (General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade), the predecessor of the WTO.
The reactions of ordinary Chinese towards China's WTO entry are many and varied.
"It seems that the entry will have no impact on my life -- although cars may be cheaper," said taxi driver Zhu Jianhua.
Most potential car-buyers, like media worker Zhang Cheng, are waiting patiently to see what happens.
"I've been waiting to get a car for a year, and I'd like to wait for another two years to get a better car at a lower price when tariffs are reduced," Zhang said.
In fact, most people are eager to see prices of goods plunge.
Yu Li, an employee of the country's biggest petro-chemical company, applauded his country's WTO accession as a blessing for consumers and said that "we will enjoy more diversified commodities and services and our society will open wider to the outside world."
"Many sectors will be affected and it is inevitable that the best will prevail. The entry is only an outside force to bring China closer to the rest of the world," he emphasized.
High school teacher Hu Ying said she believes that the entry will put more pressure on China's monopolistic sectors to reform, otherwise, "they will have to shut down."
Asserting that "Chinese consumers paid dearly for the poor and monopolistic services of these sectors," she said that services of certain sectors are still "far from satisfactory" although the slogan "the customer is god" was proposed over a decade ago.
Twenty-four-year-old Xiao Jianyi, who works in advertising, worries about the possible loss of clients to foreign companies arising from more opening to the outside.
"But it won't necessarily be bad for individuals,"Xiao said. "Capable people do not fear unemployment, and maybe they can get a better job" as a result of opportunities WTO will bring.
Office equipment dealer Chen Mingmei is expecting cheaper services for insurance, automobile, housing and telecommunications,yet is anxious that the added competition will be detrimental to her businesses.
No matter what, a society with more choices is "more sound," said insurer Sun Guangjun, "as we are young, we can shake off the bad things from the old system and improve ourselves to meet the challenges."
Like many of those interviewed, Chen Yemei, who has been with an international organization for eight years, viewed the entry as a double-edged sword, saying that it won't be all beneficial -- even for the United States.
"The key is how we handle it. The country should increase its competitiveness and people should be global-minded, such as willing to learn foreign languages and paying more attention to what's going on in the world," Chen added.
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