China's Accession to the World Trade Organization : The Services Dimension

Mattoo, Aaditya

World Bank, Washington, DC

关键词: TRADE AGREEMENTS;    SERVICES;    SERVICE EXPORTS;    REFORM POLICY;    WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION;   

DOI  :  10.1596/1813-9450-2932
RP-ID  :  WPS2932

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: World Bank Open Knowledge Repository

【 摘 要 】

China's General Agreement on Tradein Services (GATS) commitments represent the most radicalservices reform program negotiated in the World TradeOrganization. China has promised to eliminate over the nextfew years most restrictions on foreign entry and ownership,as well as most forms of discrimination against foreignfirms. These changes are in themselves desirable. However,realizing the gains from, and perhaps even thesustainability of, liberalization will require theimplementation of complementary regulatory reform and theappropriate sequencing of reforms. Three issues, inparticular, merit attention: 1) Initial restrictions on thegeographical scope of services liberalization couldencourage the further agglomeration of economic activity incertain regions-to an extent that is unlikely to be reversedcompletely by subsequent countrywide liberalization. 2)Restrictions on foreign ownership (temporary in most sectorsbut more durable in telecommunications and life insurance)may dampen the incentives of foreign investors to improvefirm performance. 2) Improved prudential regulation andmeasures to deal with the large burden of non-performingloans on state banks are necessary to deliver the benefitsof liberalization in financial services. And in basictelecommunications and other network-based services,meaningful liberalization will be difficult to achievewithout strengthened pro-competitive regulation.