... the outside world in 1978 as part of the Ten Year programme for Social and Economic Development (European Business Review, 1999). One element of this reform saw the creation of 14 Special Economic Zones including the Fujian district (see Fig. 1) in the East of the country. Significant investment has been made in the Special Zones over the last 20 years with a view to attracting new foreign investment. China was officially admitted to the World Trade Organisation (W.T.O.) in November 2001 (BBC News World Edition 2001) and hopes that being a member of the W.T.O. will seal its ongoing commitment to the social and economic reforms of the last 20 years. China's ascension to the W.T.O. will create significant business opportunities for the other 140 member nations as well as for China itself. Following its entry to the W.T.O., China has significantly cut the import tariffs on numerous products and ...

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