BEIJING - China has gradually adopted international trade practices and established a unified, open foreign trade system compatible with multinational trade rules over the past three decades, Chinese government said Wednesday in a white paper.

The white paper, titled China's Foreign Trade, said China's foreign trade system has completed the transformation from mandatory planning to giving full play to the fundamental role of the market since the implementation of the reform and opening up policy.

The country's entry into WTO in 2001 elevated the opening up to a new stage, said the white paper, released by the Information Office of the State Council.

After the entry, China has expanded its opening-up in the fields of industry, agriculture and the services trade, and accelerated trade and investment facilitation and liberalization, the white paper said.

To spur foreign trade, China has taken steps to lower tariffs and reduce non-tariff measures. By 2010, China's overall tariff level had been lowered to 9.8 percent, according to the white paper.

China has also put in place a slew of measures to liberalize access to foreign trade operations.

By 2010, all of China's commitments made upon entry into the WTO had been fulfilled and its efforts are commended by a majority of WTO members, according to the white paper.