New round of China-WTO talks set for November

October 25, 2000
Web posted at: 8:41 AM HKT (0041 GMT)

GENEVA (Reuters) -- China will hold talks with members of the World Trade Organization next month in an effort to clear last-minute hurdles in its 14-year effort to join the world trade watchdog, trade officials said Tuesday.

The Geneva-based WTO's spokesman Keith Rockwell said a formal meeting of the WTO working party on Chinese accession was set for Nov. 2, to be followed by a Nov. 8 meeting at which the parties would "take stock of developments and decide on the future program of work."

The last round of talks in Geneva in September stalled amid bickering over an array of issues, prompting the United States and the European Union to accuse China of backsliding on its commitments to open up its markets.

China's Vice Minister of Foreign Trade and chief WTO negotiator Long Yongtu is expected to head Beijing's team to the Geneva talks. In between the two meetings, China is expected to hold bilateral talks with WTO members.

EU's top trade negotiator Pascal Lamy, in Beijing to try to unsnarl final talks on China's WTO membership, said Monday that he believed the bilateral sticking points were resolvable.

For the EU, which struck a WTO accession deal with China in May, the outstanding issues include Chinese extra insurance licenses to EU firms and pledges to let foreign service providers like banks and insurance firms operate freely.

Contrary to repeated political assertions from U.S. officials that Chinese accession will happen before the end of 2000, trade officials say that the prospects of Beijing wrapping up accession talks before the end of the year appear dim.

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