China expected to become WTO member later this year

(07/05/2001) (xinhua)

China has completed the substantial negotiations at the 16th Meeting of the World Trade Organization ( WTO) Working Party on the Access of China, which will become a turning point in the long process of the country's entry into WTO, Long Yongtu, China's chief negotiator said in Geneva Wednesday.

He said this meeting has reached substantial and positive conclusion on the 12 major outstanding issues including the issues of agriculture, industrial subsidies, trading rights and transitional review mechanism.

He said there will be a vote on China's access to WTO at the 4th Ministerial Meeting in Doha, Qatar this November.

Chinese National People's Congress will then ratify the whole package of the documents and China becomes a member of WTO after it has notified the WTO that this has been done.

Chairman of the China's Working Party Girard said that this particular session of the Working Party has been a "very productive one." He noted that members and China engaged constructively and intensively to resolve difficult points of difference, with very positive outcomes.

Long Yongtu said at the meeting that "China's WTO accession is in the interest of all WTO members as well as the multilateral trading system represented by the WTO.

"Since China's accession benefits China and the WTO members, there is no reason to doubt whether China would firmly implement its commitments made in the negotiations," Long said.