“We have never changed our position,” he said. “As for those who speculated that China would change and move onto a different path upon its WTO accession, but that was just their wishful thinking. There are more than one model of market economy in this world. China has been vigorously exploring a road of market economy which suits China’s own national situation and circumstances, and we have made remarkable progress in this endeavor.”
The Chinese ambassador to the World Trade Organization excoriated the U.S. report on “China’s Trade Disruptive Model” in a fiery exchange at the WTO’s General Council meeting last week.
[ Brett Fortnam | July 31, 2018 | Inside US Trade]
Ambassador Zhang Xiangchen picked apart the U.S. report, presented at a July 26 meeting, saying he “felt sorry” for the officials at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative who prepared the report because their work was wasted reinforcing a false view.
“I feel a bit sorry for our USTR colleagues who have worked so hard to produce these documents. In fact, I quite respect them though,” Zhang said, according to a copy of his remarks. “The reason why I have identified some questions in their submissions is to help them improve the quality of their criticism. I know for sure that this has nothing to do with their professionalism and diligence. But we all know if we start writing with a preoccupied viewpoint, then the paper’s quality will be less than our expectation.”
Zhang mockingly thanked U.S. Ambassador to the WTO Dennis Shea for sending a copy of the U.S.’ 14-page report on July 13 “so that I can digest this heavy cake before I come to this meeting. But much to my disappointment, that to me, it tastes more like a half-cooked dough than a cake.”
The Chinese ambassador then launched into a spirited rebuke of the U.S. criticism of its economic system. Zhang challenged the idea that China had promised to change its economic system upon entering the WTO, positing that it has always been upfront about its intent to maintain a “socialist market economy” under the leadership of the Communist party.
“We have never changed our position,” he said. “As for those who speculated that China would change and move onto a different path upon its WTO accession, but that was just their wishful thinking. There are more than one model of market economy in this world. China has been vigorously exploring a road of market economy which suits China’s own national situation and circumstances, and we have made remarkable progress in this endeavor.”
