Notable & Quotable

Commenting on the impact of WTO accession on China, Associate Professor of Law Henry Gao was quoted in the South China Morning Post on Sunday, Dec 11, as saying that “Joining the WTO has enhanced government transparency tremendously—10 years ago, many laws and regulations were often closely guarded within government agencies and not disclosed to the public. Today, you can check the Ministry of Commerce's website and find lots of government information. Had China not joined the trade body, it is uncertain whether the reform programme would have stayed on course, if not gone backwards, without an external binding commitment.”