DIALOGUES, PROCEEDINGS EASE STRAINS

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Five years into the WTO, China has learned to ease strains through dialogue and take a more open stance in international affairs.

China agreed in April to reopen its market to US beef, eliminate duplicate testing and certification requirements for imported medical equipment and to improve market access for telecommunications service providers.

In term of the protection of intellectual property rights, China announced its computer manufacturers would be required to install legal operating system software on all computers before they left the factory, and committed to close optical plants that produced pirated CDs and DVDs.

China also voiced, repeatedly, its willingness to revive the Doha round at the breakdown of the global trade talks in July.

The country has kept its commitment to fully open its service industry by December 11 and claims to be a classic example of how an open economy leads to prosperity.

China's 2006 Central Economic Work Conference last week made balancing international payments a major goal for next year, with Chinese leaders pledging to redouble efforts to expand imports and overseas investment while maintaining rational export growth and use of foreign investment.

In the meantime, domestic companies are encouraged to take up the arms of law to safeguard their legitimate rights and interests.

Aokang Group, China's largest privately-owned shoemaker, filed a lawsuit against the European Union's imposition of a 16.5-percent anti-dumping tariff on China-made leather shoes on October 7.

"China is an important member of the World Trade Organization. Its businesses have to use legal procedures to protect the interests of themselves and the industry," said the company's president Wang Zhentao.

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