Some Effects of China's Joining the WTO on Employment, and Certain Policy Proposals in Response to the Problem

There are two entirely different and starkly contradictory viewpoints on this question. One holds that joining the World Trade Organization (WTO) will bring about an increase in employment opportunities in China, to the tune of 12 million new or increased opportunities per year (International Commission on Unemployment and Employment, 1999). The other, opposite viewpoint holds that joining the WTO will bring about a reduction of about one-fourth of the employment opportunities in China (Academy of Macro-Economic Research, State Development and Planning Commission, 1996).