Behind the trade numbers: China has been a World Trade Organization member since 11 December 2001

Background

The customs figures that put China's nine-month goods trade at 39.94 trillion yuan are reported by a country that trades inside the rules of the World Trade Organization. The organisation's own country page states that China has been a member of the WTO since 11 December 2001. The same page sets out China's trade profile, tariff data, disputes and notifications under those rules. The World Trade Organization is the body that administers multilateral trade agreements, runs a dispute settlement system between members and reviews their trade policies. Membership means China's tariff schedules and trade remedies can be challenged by other members under those rules. The separate free trade agreements China signs sit alongside its WTO commitments rather than replacing them, which is why its customs data report free trade partners as a distinct group.