Guilin, Guangxi Autonomous Region, China
27 June 2001 - 29 June 2001
The first China International Cotton Conference was held in 1999 in Xi'an, which attracted more than 150 participants representing governmental agencies, international organizations, cotton business and research institutions from both China and abroad. The conference was such a great success that, even before it was concluded, suggestions had been raised and welcomed by the participants that a second conference should be organized in 2001.
Over the past two years, both the world cotton market and Chinese cotton sector have undergone significant changes. The next round of WTO negotiations has been initiated in which further tariff reduction and subsidies to agricultural exports are likely to be discussed; the China's WTO admission may be concluded soon; the application of bio- technology in cotton production has been developed rapidly and the sign of slowdown of economic growth in some developed countries has emerged. In China, the policies to reform the cotton marketing system have made significant progress and the first market oriented cotton exchange center, China National Cotton Exchange, has been established and operated.
To address the likely impacts of all these developments and changes on the world cotton market and the Chinese cotton sector in the new Millennium, the 2001 China International Cotton Conference entitled "Prospects of the World Cotton Market and the China Cotton Industry in the New Millennium", was held on 27-29 June 2001 in Guilin, Guangxi Autonomous Region, China. A special session in this conference was also organized to discuss its role and future developments of the China National Cotton Exchange, in particular under the WTO environment. We welcome all national and international cotton business and research firms to make presentations about their activities at the business session.
This international cotton conference was organized by the Bureau of Cotton and Jute (BCJ), All China Federation of Supply and Marketing Cooperatives, and the Research Center for Rural Economy (RCRE), the Ministry of Agriculture in co- operation with Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, China Cotton Textile Association (CCTA) and China National Cotton Exchange.
