firm support for the multilateral trading system and an open world economy. In the WTO, the vast majority of members echoed China's opposition to unilateralism and protectionism.
III. China's Significant Contribution to the World After Accession to the WTO
China steadfastly pursues a mutually beneficial opening-up strategy, upholds the WTO's principle of free trade, and has lived up to its responsibilities as a major country in the process of opening-up. From its WTO accession in 2001 to the Belt and Road Initiative in 2013, China has embraced the world with open arms, made a significant contribution to promoting international trade and increasing global wellbeing, and become a key anchor and driver for the world economy.
1. Boosting world economic recovery and growth
Since its accession to the WTO, China has accelerated its reform and opening-up process and economic growth. China's development is a forceful driver of global economic growth.
In 2016, China's GDP accounted for 14.8 percent of the world total, up by 10.7 percentage points over 2001, calculated at exchange rates. Since 2002, China's contribution to global economic growth has approached 30 percent on average. The Chinese economy has become a major engine for global economic recovery and growth.
China has quickened its pace in promoting new industrialization, IT application, urbanization, and agricultural modernization, created enormous opportunities for consumption and investment, and generated more jobs for the world. According to a report released by the International Labor Organization, "Effects of China on the Quantity and Quality of Jobs in Latin America and the Caribbean", China created 1.8 million jobs for Latin America and the Caribbean region from 1990 to 2016.
China's rapid development has made tremendous contributions to the cause of global poverty reduction. Over the past 40 years of reform and opening-up, the Chinese people have emerged from scarcity to abundance and from poverty to moderate prosperity. According to current UN standards, more than 700 million Chinese people have been lifted out of poverty, accounting for more than 70% of the global total over the same period. This represents the largest contribution to poverty reduction in the world.
