The World Trade Organization, Challenges and Opportunities for China’s Heath Care System

The beginning of the twenty-first century has witnessed major events in China’s health care system, such as the epidemics of HIV/AIDS, SARS, avian influenza, environmental disasters, and an increasing incidence of mental illness and chronic illness caused by socioeconomic changes. The country is facing public health challenges on all these fronts, which combine the problems of both developed and developing countries. This chapter aims to provide a long-term assessment of China’s health care system and how these challenges can also be seen as opportunities for domestic and multinational stakeholders within the World Trade Organization (WTO) framework. And most important, how these challenges will help to improve the health of the Chinese people. This chapter will review: (i) China’s position and commitments within the WTO framework; (ii) Chinese economic and development outlooks; (iii) major health-related issues facing the Chinese population; (iv) capacity building in meeting the changing health needs of Chinese society, and required investment and infrastructure building in health and related areas; (v) assessing the initial impact of China’s WTO membership on China’s health care sector; and (vi) China’s potential to participate in the global health care market.