Zambia has become the 53rd nation in the world to recognize
China's market economy status, the Ministry of Commerce said in
Beijing on Wednesday.
Zambian Vice President Lupando Mwape made the announcement
Tuesday in Zambia's capital, Lusaka, after meeting with a Chinese
government delegation headed by Vice Commerce Minister Wei
Jianguo.
In April 2004, New Zealand became the first country to recognize
China's market economy status.
Since then, 13 other countries including Australia, South Korea,
Israel, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, and Iceland followed suit to
acknowledge China's market economy status in 2005.
However, China's three biggest trading partners -- the EU, the
US and Japan -- have not recognized the country's market economy
status to date.
Chinese trade officials said Chinese enterprises have been
treated unfairly in anti-dumping probes, because some countries
refuse to admit that China has a market economy.
(Xinhua News Agency March 23, 2006)
