CHINA'S SHIFTING ATTITUDE TOWARD THE WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION (2002-2012)

This paper argues China’s shifting attitude toward WTO, having examined China’s involvement in the WTO dispute settlement system, the approach to the Doha Round, and the attempt to raise China’s influence in WTO. From 2001 to 2006, China exerted great efforts to maintain conformity with WTO rules. However, China has changed the attitude toward WTO since 2007. China has intensified its participation in the WTO dispute settlement system. China has come to push its opinions strongly in the Doha Round. This China’s attitudinal shift is mainly because the Chinese leaders have changed their perspectives toward WTO. They regard that they cannot obtain the expected profits from WTO. In addition, they have strong confidence in making their own policies after experiencing the big structural variation of the world economy, especially symbolized by the global financial crisis.