[Full Title] "One China, Four WTO Memberships": Legal Grounds, Relations and Significance

    Hong Kong region, Macao region, China, and Taiwan region all became WTO members one after another in accordance with the WTO relevant provisions. The situation of “one China, four WTO memberships” in the WTO regime has emerged. The relations among the four members are not only the relations of equal members within the WTO regime but also the relations of different customs regions within a sovereign State. The main features of the relations among the four members include equal representation and participation in the WTO institutions and decision-making, separate claim and liabilities systems as well as equal participation in regional trade agreements. The significance of “one China, four WTO memberships” is to reflect the latest development of international law, to strengthen the consensus of the one-China principle in international society, and to provide new opportunities for four members to establish closer economic relations.