July's celebrations as Beijing was named to host the 2008 Olympic Games told their own story. And, as 2001 drew to a close, China took its second momentous step into the inter-national limelight when it completed its widely expected accession to the World Trade Organisation.In number alone few countries can have seen as many modernisation projects this year as China. Crucially a large proportion of these projects are employing state-of-the-art western technology: Handan and Tangshan are among those to favour compact hot strip plants, while Hangzhou and the August 1st steelworks in Xinjiang are only two of several producers to commission modem high-speed wire rod and bar mills this year.
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