China tells U.S. it will not block Taiwan's WTO bid

September 6, 2000
Web posted at: 11:19 a.m. HKT (0319 GMT)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- China has assured the United States that it will not try to block Taiwan's bid to join the World Trade Organization, President Clinton said in a letter released Tuesday as the Senate opened debate on a landmark trade agreement with Beijing.

A group of prominent U.S. senators expressed concern last month that China would try to keep Taiwan, which it regards as a renegade province, out of the Geneva-based trade body.

Led by Arizona Republican Jon Kyl, the 31 senators asked Clinton to reaffirm the administration's long-standing support for bringing Taipei into the WTO immediately after Beijing completes its own accession.

In his response, the president told Kyl he remained "firmly committed" to that goal and that "China has made clear on many occasions, and at high levels, that it will not oppose Taiwan's accession to the WTO."

A copy of the letter was obtained by Reuters.

The Senate is expected to vote next week on legislation that would grant permanent normal trade relations to China. Once approved, as expected, the bill would end the annual ritual of reviewing Beijing's trade status and guarantee Chinese goods the same low-tariff access to U.S. markets as the products of nearly every other nation.

In exchange for the trade benefits, China has agreed to open a wide range of markets, from agriculture to telecommunications, to U.S. businesses under the terms of a landmark agreement ushering Beijing into the WTO.

The China trade bill has already won the approval of the House, and there is broad bipartisan support for it in the Senate.

But White House officials feared that opponents of the pact would use the controversy surrounding Taiwan's accession to delay the Senate vote.

Some lawmakers have threatened to add amendments on Taiwan to the trade bill, including one that would strengthen U.S. military ties with Taipei. If any amendments are approved by the Senate, PNTR could be scuttled for the year.

Like Beijing, Taipei has reached agreements with Washington and other WTO members on joining the global trade body, but a long-standing "understanding" between WTO members calls for Taiwan's accession after China's.

In their letter to Clinton, which was made public in August, the U.S. senators said they were concerned that "Beijing may be planning to take actions that would have the effect of blocking Taiwan's accession."

The senators were referring to reports that Beijing wanted to enshrine in the WTO accession agreement its cherished "one China" policy, which considers Taiwan and the mainland as parts of a united China.

Clinton said his administration had made clear to China that Washington would oppose the move as "inappropriate and irrelevant."

"We will not accept it," Clinton wrote.

A new round of talks is expected to start next week in Geneva on China's accession to the WTO.

Copyright 2000 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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