Taiwan and China will be permitted to attend the ministerial level meeting of the WTO slated to be held in Seattle from late November through early December, Le Figaro newspaper repoorted on Sunday.
Le Figaro quoted officials of the Geneva-based WTO as reporting that those countries or customs territories that have entered the final stage of talks on WTO entry can send representatives to attend the meeting without waiting until joining the WTO. The countries are invited to attend the new round of talks on trade liberalization.
At present, 31 countries or customs territories, including Taiwan and China, have entered the final stage of talks on WTO entry and have become quasi-members of the WTO.
Trilateral talks among China, the US and the EU on China's WTO entry have dragged on for 14 years without any significant breakthroughs mainly because Beijing cannot propose a plan on tariff concessions and the opening of its market that is in accordance with world trade norms.
Beijing has completed bilateral talks with Japan reaching a trade agreement with the country. Its talks with the US and the EU are still under way.
It was reported that the new EU commissioner responsible for foreign relations will meet with Chinese representatives next week in Berlin to start crucial talks on China's WTO entry.
It is expected that the EU will loosen its standards in the hope of letting China enter the world trade regulatory body as soon as possible.
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