Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra announced Monday in a
meeting with Chinese Premier Wen
Jiabao that Thailand has chosen to recognize China's status as
a full market economy. The prime minister called on other countries
to follow suit.
Wen expressed thanks and appreciation to the Thai
government.
Last week, Kyrgyzstan became the fourth country to recognize
China officially as a market economy. The others are New Zealand,
Singapore and Malaysia.
Kyrgyzstan President Askar Akayev handed over a written document
to Chinese President Hu Jintao in Tashkent to confirm the move. The
two presidents met on the sideline of the summit meeting of the
Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
Akayev said China has established a complete market economic
system after a quarter-century of reform and opening. He added that
the process accelerated after China joined the World Trade
Organization (WTO).
Market economy status is a valuable legal and trade appellation
with implications on dumping matters, a particularly important
issue in the West.
Although China is accepted by the WTO as a market economy in
general terms, protocol on China's accession to the organization
allows other members to treat it as a non-market economy in dumping
and subsidy cases for 15 years after its entry.
(China Daily June 22, 2004)