China as a member of the GATT : historical and contemporary issues

On 11 July 1986, the PRC officially applied to resume its membership in the GATT. The author examines whether as one of the original signatories to the GATT, China is simply resuming its membership after a 36-year hiatus or whether the application should be considered as a new accession, whether China's socialist economy can be adapted to a trading regime that is rooted in market economy principles and whether the precedents set by other socialist nations already in the GATT will provide any guidance in the processing of China's application. (DÜI-Sen)