中国和技术性贸易壁垒协定。外文翻译.docVIP

外文翻译 原文 China and the Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade Material Source: RIETI Discussion Paper Series 02-E-008 July 2002 Author: Ichiro ARAKI Abstract China became a Member of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in December 2001, after more than 15 years of difficult negotiations. This paper reviews the negotiating history of China’s accession with special emphasis on the Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade, which deals with standards and technical regulations as well as conformity assessment procedures. Because of the unique domestic system in China, the negotiations regarding the TBT Agreement posed special difficulties both for China and the existing Members of the WTO. A close examination of the negotiation process reveals that China’s negotiating position was a sophisticated one, with full understanding of the cutting edge of the developing jurisprudence in the WTO. Key words: China, World Trade Organization, Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade and Industry The author presented an earlier version of this paper at a conference entitled “China and theWTO” held by the Australian National University in March 2001. This paper will be published as part of a volume resulting from that conference by the Cambridge University Press (Cass, Deborah and Brett Williams, eds. China and the WTO, forthcoming). Special thanks are due to Brett Williams (University of Sydney) for his helpful comments and assistance in updating the information. Introduction The Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT Agreement) sets out rules to be observed by WTO Members in their administration of technical regulations and standards, as well as conformity assessment procedures. Under the TBT Agreement, technical regulation is defined as a “document which lays down product characteristics or their related processes and production methods, including the applicable administrative provisions, with which compliance is mandatory”. The Agreement further notes that technical regula