Taiwan's WTO bid has nothing to do with Beijing: MOFA

Taiwan's bid to enter the World Trade Organization (WTO) should be judged on its own merit without political interference, a spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday.

Spokesman Henry Chen (陳銘政) was referring to recent remarks attributed to Susan Shirk, US deputy assistant secretary of state for East Asia and Pacific affairs, at a tripartite meeting held in New York on Monday.

According to the reports, a closed-door round-table "Track II" meeting was attended by delegates from Washington, Beijing and Taipei at which Shirk reportedly said that it is Washington's hope that both Beijing and Taipei will join the world trade regulatory body by the end of 1999.

Chen said the ministry will check on whether Washington has sent the information to Taipei through official channels.

Shirk had noted that if both sides of the Taiwan Strait join the WTO by the end of this year, tensions between Taipei and Beijing could be relieved through various dialogues concerning economic topics, according to the reports.

Chen said that there is no link between Taipei's WTO bid and Beijing's, although Beijing's entry may have a positive impact on Taipei's application.

Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji's (朱鎔基) visit to Washington in spring failed to clinch a deal with US President Bill Clinton, although Zhu made sweeping concessions on entry terms, including the opening of the telecommunications and financial sectors.

If Beijing fails to win accession to the WTO this year, Taipei should not become victim to the delay, officials have said.

Several months remain for China and the United States to complete bilateral talks on market opening and tariff concessions. Taiwan has already completed all relevant negotiations.