Zambia has become the 53rd nation in the world to recognize China's market economy status, the Ministry of Commerce said in Beijing Wednesday.

Zambian Vice President Lupando Mwape made the announcement Tuesday in Zambia's capital, Lusaka, after meeting with a Chinese government delegation headed by Vice Commerce Minister Wei Jianguo.

In April 2004, New Zealand became the first country to recognize China's market economy status.

Since then, 13 other countries including Australia, Republic of Korea, Israel, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, and Iceland followed suit to acknowledge China's market economy status in 2005.

However, China's three biggest trading partners -- the European Union, the United States and Japan -- have not recognized the country's market economy status to date.

Chinese trade officials said Chinese enterprises have been treated unfairly in anti-dumping probes, because some countries refuse to admit that China has a market economy.

Source: Xinhua