China Joins the WTO
China acceded to the World Trade Organization on December 11, 2001 after fifteen years of negotiations. WTO membership gave China preferential access to global markets and locked in domestic economic reforms. Over the next two decades, China became the world's largest exporter and second-largest economy. The terms of accession — notably China's continued state subsidies and market access restrictions — became major sources of trade friction, particularly with the United States, contributing to the trade wars of the 2010s.
- Year: 2001 CE
- Category: Diplomatic
