BEIJING, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- China has submitted the 7th offer to join the World Trade Organization's (WTO) Agreement on Government Procurement (GPA), which added the military sector for the first time, according to the Ministry of Finance.
The revised offer also added seven provinces, 16 state-owned enterprises and 36 local universities.
The offer was a major move to speed up the negotiation process of joining the GPA, fully demonstrating China's determination in opening wider to the outside world and safeguarding the multilateral trading system, said the ministry.
The GPA, a plurilateral treaty, requires its members to open up their domestic government procurement markets, as the GPA aims to expand international trade.
China started the GPA entry negotiation process in 2007, which focused on opening up areas as well as the adjustment of relevant domestic laws, and revised the offer five times thereafter.
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