WTO Challenge

With accession to the World Trade Organization, China is opening its doors to world markets, bringing about what world businesses see as long-awaited opportunities. But for many in China, the WTO will bring disconcerting change and, some argue, devastating competition. WTO Challenge, an impressive three-part report, examines how various Chinese industries plan to cope in the new economic context. The documentary series compares the Chinese situation to those of other nations such as Mexico, which embarked on a free trade economy 15 years ago under the GATT. Executive Producer Au Ka Lun, Producers Ko Yee Lam, Sum Wan Wah, Hui Mei Lin, and Wong Kit Wai, Directors Heidi Yung and Greta Cheung, and Photographers Ng Yuk Lun, Wan Tak Ming, and Tsang Yee Sang investigate the Chinese industries facing the most competition under the new WTO rules: agriculture, textiles and clothing, electrical appliance manufacturing, banking and investment, and steel and glass production. Issues common to the growing global economy—free trade, fair competition, product dumping, tariffs, quotas, state subsidies and state-managed economies—are all considered in a complex, yet clear manner. Through careful examination of practices in Mexico, Australia, Singapore, Canada, India, Japan and the United States, WTO Challenge shows how the potential loss of existing jobs, creation of new and different jobs, and variations among economies may change the face of China and indeed, the face of the rest of the world. For WTO Challenge, an outstanding documentary probing the personal, social, and economic implications of China’s growing involvement in world affairs, a Peabody Award goes to Television Broadcasts Limited, Hong Kong.