preface
In 2001, the Fourth Representative Conference of the World Trade Organization (WTO) was held in Doha, Qatar, and with the sound of a crisp hammer at the meeting, China officially joined the WTO by unanimous vote, which took only 8 minutes, but for this moment, China worked hard for 15 years.
Since July 1986, China has been working hard for its accession to the WTO, and in the nearly 15-year-long tug-of-war negotiations, the Chinese and American delegations have changed several times, in the words of Premier Zhu Rongji: "People with black hair have become white-haired people." "In the face of obstruction by the world hegemonic U.S. government and unequal agreements thrown out many times, the Chinese negotiating team has persevered. So why does China have to join the WTO, and what did the United States finally compromise on?
Reform and opening up, joining the WTO is imperative
In 1978, at the initiative of Deng Xiaoping, China began to reopen its doors to the world, and in 1981, it obtained the global textile distribution of the World Customs and Trade Association gatt through negotiation, although China was no longer a party to the gatt at that time, but this successful negotiation allowed China to taste the sweetness of the global economy and see the possibility of restoring the country. ，
The following year, the trade volume between China and gatt member countries has accounted for 85% of China's total foreign import and export volume, and the Ministry of Foreign Trade, which found this situation, sent a proposal report to the State Council to apply for the restoration of China's gatt contract status.
At this time, among the world's three major economic and trade organizations, China has joined the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, only gatt has not yet participated, if you want to quickly go to the world, gatt is the only way.
Although in 1986, China submitted an application for customs clearance to gatt, and gatt also set up a relevant working group, but at that time, China's attitude towards the market economy was still on the verge of acceptance and prohibition, and no one dared to define China's economy as a market economy, so in the face of more than 40,000 problems of gatt's resumption, China did not make corresponding countermeasures, and the first application for customs clearance was returned.
However, with the convening of the 14th National Congress in 1992, the Chinese economic system was clarified, the core problem of Market economy in China's resumption of customs was solved, and China saw the dawn of hope again.
This time, other gatt members have successively passed the review of China's resumption of customs, but as the big brother of gatt, the United States does not want China to join the gatt so smoothly, but wants to take advantage of China's eagerness to join, carry out bottomless suppression of China's policy, and do not accept any negotiations, which makes China's resumption of customs extremely difficult. Tong Zhiguang, then a representative of the Chinese negotiating delegation, said helplessly: The United States is just a spoiled child, and it is impossible to talk about it well.
In January 1995, the world trade rules further changed, the WTO replaced the gatt into the global focus, China also changed from the original gatt to the WTO, at this time China compared with 10 years ago in the country has undergone earth-shaking changes, economic strength is growing, in many areas of the world China has the ability to participate in world competition, but under the policy pressure of the United States, Chinese enterprise products in the international market, suffered a lot of cold eyes and unfair treatment.
Joining the WTO can not only share the fruits of globalization, but also participate in the formulation of trade policies, and many WTO accession negotiations have also made China more and more aware: China needs the WTO, and the WTO is also inseparable from China! It also firmly adheres to a principle: China will never do anything to join the WTO! The determination of this principle also indicates that China's high-pressure policy toward the United States has begun to shift, and the negotiations have become more strategic.
The difficulties are numerous, and the Sino-US negotiations have ups and downs
The United States has seen china's urgent desire to join the WTO, and in the face of China's application for WTO accession, it has offered all kinds of unfair agreements, making it difficult for Sino-US negotiations to continue and reaching an impasse. China decided to bypass the United States first and engage with other members of the WTO first.
Guided by this decision, New Zealand soon became the first country to reach a bilateral agreement on the WTO with China, followed by south Korea, Hungary and the Czech Republic, which signed bilateral agreements with China. The United States was clearly reluctant to see this happen, and at the end of the 19th century, the ruling party in the United States elevated the trade issue to a political problem, making the already rigid negotiations even more difficult.
In 1999, Zhu Rongji, then premier of the State Council, decided to take action to push Sino-US negotiations to break the ice. In April of the same year, the visit to the United States was put on the itinerary, and Premier Zhu also knew that it would not be easy to visit the United States under the circumstances of the two sides' sword fighting, and neither side would be flattered. At this time, the United States does not welcome China's visit, and some people in China oppose visiting the United States because of the wave of unemployment that will bring about about by China's accession to the WTO.
When the plane arrived in the United States, Zhu Rongji went to the store in front of a US reporter on the American commercial street to buy two hats, and quipped that this was to help China and the United States eliminate the trade deficit. In the face of the hostility of the Americans, Premier Zhu said with both worry and hope: "We will have different opinions and disputes and debates, but this is the best friend; only slandering friends is the best friend." ”
On the other hand, before visiting the US delegation, Premier Zhu also made it clear: I hope the United States understands that China will not survive unless it joins the WTO. Humor in one hand and iron fist in the other, the US side has to re-examine the prime minister from the East.
In the negotiations with the United States, China has considered making concessions in some of the areas mentioned by the United States, and Premier Zhu has also given the United States more than expected conditions in the fields of telecommunications, insurance and agriculture, which has completely boiled over various industries in the United States, and the "surprises" brought by China have made American journalists full of reverie about future cooperation.
However, just when everyone saw the hope of China's accession to the WTO, the United States unilaterally issued the so-called "Sino-US Joint Statement" without China's consent, which was accompanied by a 17-page annex, which made all the contents of the negotiations that China did not agree to make public in an attempt to force China to make further concessions, but it was indeed China's anger, the two delegations once again fell into war, and China even made plans to return empty-handed.
On 8 April 1999, at US President Clinton's welcome dinner, Zhu Rongji arrived an hour late, and as soon as he entered the door, he explained to everyone, "Today is a bad day." Do you know why I was late just now? It is because there are troubles in the negotiations on China's accession to the WTO. ”
The trouble is: We have made great concessions, but the Us side still wants us to make further concessions, such conditions are signed, I am not afraid of stepping down, I am afraid that I will not be able to give an account to the Chinese people..."
On the other hand, the "battle" between the Sino-US negotiating delegation is also fierce, tomorrow the Chinese delegation will leave the United States, tonight will be the last round of confrontation between the two sides, after 3 hours of bitter fighting, the United States agreed to cancel the previous unilateral statement, and deleted some of the annexes, and reached an agreement to support China's accession to the WTO.
In the early morning of the next day, as soon as the Chinese plane flew out of Washington, the US side changed its mind, and the United States hoped to win more favorable parts of the agreement; Clinton, under domestic pressure, called Zhu Rongji to hope that the Chinese side would stay a few more days, hoping that the content of the agreement that had already been reached would be revised, and Zhu Rongji replied unequivocally: "Don't talk about it, we want to talk about Beijing talks." “
Salute first and then soldier, domineering response to a hammer
On November 10, 1999, the US delegation headed by Barshevsky arrived in Beijing, at this time, 13 years had passed since China's first application for WTO accession, and both sides had basically played their respective cards, and this time it was the key to China's successful accession to the WTO.
Originally planned for a 2-day negotiation trip, but on the next day, an accident occurred. The United States expected to be able to obtain additional preferential policies in China's key areas such as telecommunications value-added, automobiles, insurance and other industries, and after Being rejected by China, the US delegation was furious, and the chairman of the US Economic Commission even issued a harsh word: "China will not get most favored nation treatment, forever!" forever! forever! After saying that, he even transported the luggage of the negotiating team to the airport, ready to leave at any time.
In the face of a sudden "farce," Zhu Rongji received us deputies and brought the negotiations, which had already broken down, back to the negotiating table again; although the process was not satisfactory, both sides had the desire to continue talking, and by November 14, the talks had basically broken down. The U.S. side returned the hotel and carried all the luggage to the car, and after informing the Chinese side that the concierge needed to cooperate with the return arrangements the next day, everyone collectively played missing.
At 11 p.m., Premier Zhu Rongji, who learned of this situation, asked Long Yongtu (the Chinese negotiator) to find a way to contact the US side, and after many contacts, the US side finally responded, and also expressed the intention of the US side to meet with the Chinese side in a small area before setting off.
According to the time agreed by the two sides, Long Yongtu went to the meeting place of the two sides with the prepared materials, and when he arrived, the US side had prepared the materials needed for the negotiation, and Long Yongtu sensed that the US side had the desire to sign an agreement. Long Yongtu immediately transmitted this important message to Premier Zhu Rongji. Zhu Rongji replied with only one sentence: I believe in your judgment, you must negotiate with the Americans, and do not let the Americans run away.
However, the negotiations lasted from 4 a.m. to more than 9 a.m., there are still 7 issues left between China and the United States can not reach a consensus, from the US side to inform the aircraft take-off time is imminent, the United States is even more strong to demand the Chinese side: these 7 issues China must accept, otherwise the hundreds of pages of agreements that have been signed before are not counted, but in the face of 7 issues that touch the bottom line, Long Yongtu cannot agree, and the negotiations are once again in a dead end.
After receiving the negotiation report sent back by Long Yongtu, Zhu Rongji immediately rushed to the venue and learned that the premier was coming to the United States and no longer mentioned that the plane was going to take off. Long Yongtu recalled afterwards. After arriving at the scene, Zhu Rongji asked Long Yongtu to write down the 7 questions of the US side on the note, looked at it and said: Next, I will talk about it.
Back at the negotiating table, the United States once again reiterated 7 questions, and Zhu Rongji did not hesitate to agree to 3 consecutive questions; at this time, Long Yongtu was already in a bit of a hurry and kept passing notes to Zhu Rongji, and the note read: These problems are not authorized by the State Council. Zhu Rongji slammed the table and said, "Long Yongtu, don't hand over the note anymore." “
When the United States raised the fourth question, Zhu Rongji said calmly: "We have given in the front, and you have to give in to the next four questions.
The US side obviously did not expect that Zhu Rongji would come to this hand to salute first and then soldiers, and after 5 minutes of discussion, the US side agreed with the Chinese side's opinion.
At this point, the 13-year-long contest between China and the United States has finally ushered in a win-win outcome, and the US delegation, when reporting to Clinton, said that the world's greatest negotiations are over!