The European Commissioner for Trade Pascal Lamy made a one-day visit to Beijing on October 17 2002, his fifth to China as EU Trade Commissioner, and met with Chinese State Counsellor Wu Yi, Minister Shi Guangsheng and Minister Li from the General Administration of Quality Supervision. Inspection and Quarantine. Despite his busy schedule, he attended a European Chamber members dinner at which he delivered a speech and conducted a question and answer session.
The overall tone of Pascal Lamy’s speech was positive, albeit with a few warnings to the European business community. He poinmed out that “China’s economy is growing so fast, changing in so many ways, that Europe has to step up its efforts if we are to remain influential”. He stressed that “two years ago, the EU was the number one investor (in terms of new FDI) in China — now we are behind both the US and Japan”. Lamy gave caution to the European business community and government alike by saying “our relationship, your relationship with the Chinese economy is living proof of the need to run faster and faster just to stand still, and we all, both business and Government, need to play our part in that”.
Regarding the overall assessment of WTO accession implementation, Lamy’s message was also positive. “There is no doubt in my mind that China and her leadership is extremely eager to demonstrate that China will respect her WTO obligations in full.” The challenges are how these commitments are being translated into action on the ground in terms of day-to-day business and abiding by the spirit of WTO rules. Critical issues are transparency and predictability, along with teething problems in the transitional stage of many of the Chinese WTO commitments. Commissioner Lamy acknowledged the existence of new non-trade barriers about which a number of European companies have expressed concern. He urged members to keep in close contact with the EU Delegation in Beijing, which is keen to help and quick to report problems back to Brussels. “The EU is playing a full part in the framework of the so-called Transitional Review Mechanism which has been set up to review Chinese accession on an annual basis”, he said.
He highlighted the Doha Development Agency (DDA) “Sometimes it may seem odd to you, as businessmen, that the EU and China, after 15 years’ long march into WTO, are plunging again into fresh negotiations to further liberalize market access on an MFN basis, and to again improve the rules which govern world trade. But this project is of critical global importance if we are to keep the WTO relevant, and I have found the Chinese remarkably open to European ideas in the DDA, and I hope vice versa. We have, in Geneva, and between capitals, started to develop a very close working relationship on all the key issues, and I think we have found many common interests … My message to you, the European Business community, is that we are intensifying our work with the Chinese Government. We are very keen to hear your priorities so we can put together an ambitious result in the Round.”
“There is no doubt in my mind that China and her leadership is extremely eager to demonstrate that China will respect her WTO obligations in full.”
Leave a Reply