China's economic progress is praised, but academics say challenges remain
China has made significant gains in reforming its economy and legal system, according to a study by the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation Secretariat.
The report released yesterday was so glowing that some mainland academics said Apec had gone too far with its praise and overlooked serious faults, especially with the judiciary.
Apec even singled out China's efforts in complying with its commitments to the WTO as being positive, despite frequent complaints from some of its largest trading partners.
'The highest Chinese political leadership has reaffirmed its strong commitment to reform its economy based on WTO and voluntary Apec commitments,' said academic Hank Lim, who did an assessment for Apec of China's performance in achieving the Bogor goals.
The Bogor goals, set by the forum in 1994, call for developing countries to achieve economic, administrative and social transparency by 2020. China was among the many states that signed the agreement in Bogor, Indonesia.
'China has made remarkable progress in liberalising, regulating and restructuring its economy to be more transparent and competitive, especially since its WTO accession,' said Dr Lim, of the Institute of International Affairs in Singapore.
