Beijing and Shanghai in Quiet Atmosphere

Tian'anmen Square in central Beijing was in its usually quiet atmosphere when the news came at midnight Saturday that the world trade conglomerate finally opened its door to the world's most populous nation.

There was no fireworks diaplay or hailing galas at the Square at that moment. This is quite contrary to the previous two historic nights this year, July 13 and October 7, when tens of thousands of people had carnivals to celebrate Beijing's successful bidding to host the 2008 Olympiad and China's entry to the World Cup after a 44-year odyssey.

WTO-related books were not among October's best-sellers, according to a major bookstore in downtown Beijing. "Their anxious readers bought them years ago," said a sales clerk.

East China's commercial center Shanghai also remained in the same quiet. Most Shanghaiers, having long been accustomed to the neon advertisement boards of transnational corporations, described China's WTO entry as "natural".

Little to be Excited or Nervous about

"There is little to be excited or nervous about," said Yin Jiafa, secretary-general of the Shanghai Municipal Banking Guild, "Our 69 members, Chinese and foreign, believe challenges and opportunities coexist inside WTO."

But this is after all a historic moment for the Chinese nation. The live coverage of the event by China's Central Television lasted over four hours. But when China formally applied for re-entry into the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade in 1986, not a single picture was kept.

In Beijing University, students were quietly watching TV on Saturday night, unexcited.

Just like any other weekend, all department stores opened at 9:00 am Sunday, the day following China's WTO entry, to receive multitudes of customers.

"WTO has not brought any change to my life yet," said Ma Huan, a secondary school teacher in Beijing.

An executive in the service industry, however, said just the opposite. "Everything in China will undergo dramatic changes," said Li Shaohua.

An official from the National Copyright Administration said it is critical to crack down upon pirated DVDs after China's WTO entry.

To upgrade service has become a top priority for Beijing Telecom, said a source of the company.

In most agricultural bases, farmers seemed busier registering trade marks for their farm produce.

End to Negotiation, Beginning of a New Odyssey

A survey on some 4,695 Chinese business owners Saturday show that 48 percent of the enterprises foresaw no negative effect on their business after China's WTO accession. Thirty-eight percent believed their business will be improved while 14 percent predicted recession.

"The entry marks an end to China's 15-year-long negotiations, but a beginning of a new odyssey," said Liu Guangxi, China's first Ph. D for WTO affairs, who coined the phrase "rushi" in 1986, which means, literally, "entry into the world".

"Rushi" stands for China's WTO accession, said Liu. "On the other hand, it marks a historic moment when a giant that has long been wandering outside the world finally joins the mainstream of the world economy."

( November 12, 2001)