2001Reputable sourceWell documented
China Joins the World Trade Organization
On the timeline · around 2001 · Modern China
What happened
On 11 December 2001, after fifteen years of negotiation, China formally joined the World Trade Organization, committing to open its markets and abide by global trading rules. The move locked in decades of economic reform and integrated China into the world economy.
Why it matters
WTO membership accelerated China's rise into the world's factory and, within two decades, its second-largest economy — one of the defining economic events of the twenty-first century.