The treatment of Chinese SOEs in China’s WTO protocol of accession

The two central issues in China’s accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO) were its economic size and the large role the state had played in economic decisions. The treatment of State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) as central to addressing the latter point. While the Protocol of Accession imposed obligations on China that went beyond what was required of other WTO members, it has not been effective at resolving concerns about Chinese SOEs. This demonstrates, in part, the limitations of using the WTO as a vehicle to promote economic reform