China, the world's largest gold producerand the world's secondbiggestgoldconsumerafterIndia, is still a strongmarket, while the demand in marketssuch asthe U. S. is waning.
Furthermore, locating the factories in China's hinterland puts them in a better position to service China's growing domestic consumermarket instead of exporting to consumers in the U.S. and elsewhere.
As for the WTO itself, bringing China in would not only open up what is potentially the world's biggest consumermarket, but it would also ensure that China does not stand aloof from the trading rules that govern commerce in the globalized new century.