As a WTO member, China will be required to provide "national treatment"1 to foreign investors in various service industries. This includes the telecommunications sector.
China's recently-amended Copyright Law aims to bring China's intellectual property rights protection more into line with international conventions as the country faces renewed scrutiny as a WTO member.
With China's WTO accession and the corresponding relaxation of restrictions on distribution services, foreign investors will have a greater opportunity to expand their businesses.
China's government has pledged to abide by the World Trade Organization's requirements. Here's an introduction to the tasks and commitments China faces.
Finding successful methods to resolve trade disagreements will be more important than ever once China joins the WTO. With an anticipated upsurge in trade disputes involving China, what does the WTO offer for resolution?
For those who have advised on competitive tenders for significant infrastructure projects in China, it is a common observation that the theory of purely objective application of tender criteria and the practice during bid selection often have intriguing differences. Recent regulation of competitive tenders in China is therefore a welcome and constructive development.
China has encouraged research in genetic modification of agricultural crops, and by some accounts its regulatory structure is more progressive than other large developing countries. But the country's legal developments in the agricultural sector to date still carry a predisposition to unnecessary trade restrictions.
Seeking to attract high technology companies, Beijing Muncipality passed the path-breaking Zhongguancun Science and Technology Park Regulations (the Regulations).1 The Regulations have achieved major breakthroughs in five areas: protection of investors' interests; simplified company formation procedures and requirements; provisions to facilitate venture capital; anti-trust measures; and regulation of government activities.
China recently issued regulations for the registration and protection of layout designs of integrated circuits. These regulations are intended to meet the demands for the protection of intellectual property in the layout design of integrated circuits and to comply with the obligations of the Agreement on Trade-related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (the Trips Agreement).
China's economic liberalization is creating new opportunities for mergers and acquisitions among the emerging class of new Chinese entrepreneurs (NCEs).…