China. In the steel industry, China agrees its state-owned and subsidized steel
industry will not dump tons of cheap products onto crucial U.S. markets. There
really in no clear winner in this agreement, China will sell more cheap steel
overseas while U.S. firms will still have to compete world wide. Finally, in the
textile industry the Chinese textile plants will be able to sell their products
anywhere around the world. China is clearly the winner here, in this respect the
WTO is like a dream come true. For the U.S. plants, the cheap Chinese exports
will be a nightmare. Conclusion The World Trade Organization is going to produce
many opportunities for the entire nation of China. For the first time in its
history, China will be able to share its resources and receive resources from
all around the world. The only mistake we can make regarding this situation is
to push our (the U.S.) democratic views upon them while we trade with them. The
politics in China will not change overnight and they probably will not change in
the next ten years. It is extremely important that we respect that China will do
what is best for itself throughout the course of trading, which I believe it
will do. Another major concern involving China and the WTO is the issue of
worker?s rights. Attention has to be kept in regards to this touchy subject,
but again, the world must realize that it can?t impose moral laws as well as
trade laws in a different country. I hope that China does focus on the bettering
of working conditions and I also hope that the majority of jobs, especially
agricultural, can be saved in some fashion. I believe that China will succeed in
this new trade agreement, and hopefully the rest of the world can benefit as
well. It might be rough going at first, but only because it will be new to such
a historic and old nation as China. I realize that old habits are particularly
hard to break, but I am confident that under President Jiang Zemin, that China
will prosper economically and socially under this new agreement.
Shapinsky, David. Unchanging China. ABCNews.com. November 20, 1999.
Leicester, John. WTO Entry Mixed Blessing for China. Associated Press. November
21, 1999. McCarthy, Terry. The Imperial Dragon. Time Magazine. November 29,
1999.