China's accession to the World Trade Organization

China's accession to the WTO holds great significance for the international community, says Tatsuhiro Shindo. If China can be brought into the fold, not only will the multilateral free trade structure that the WTO aims to establish be strengthened, but the stability of the international community as a whole will be enhanced. But China, once accepted, must do its part to assure others that it will abide by common international rules and change its economy to more closely fit with free market principles. Shindo is a senior research fellow at IIPS who has been seconded from the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO).