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On the first day of 2002, China became a member of the WTO (World Trade Organization). From this day on, we could see this initialism in newspapers almost every day.

People immediately divided into two groups -- supporters and opposers. Supporters believed that WTO would help Chinese products enter the global markets quickly.

Opposers (mainly Maoists and ultraleftists) believed that cheap foreign products would make a devastating impact on vulnerable industry and agriculture of China.

Today, the government admits that it was exactly in post-WTO 20 years that China's economy grew rapidly and became the world's second largest economy after the United States.