APEC forum member nations revealed over the weekend they would call for an agreement on China's entry into the WTO by year's end during this week's trade minister's conference in Shanghai.
"Member economies will urge the early conclusion of China's WTO accession negotiations, as early as possible, and by the end of the year," said a trade official, quoting from a draft declaration being prepared for the upcoming meeting of APEC trade ministers.
China's 14-year bid to enter the WTO has dominated weekend talks of senior officials from the 21-nation APEC group who will set the Shanghai agenda and lay the groundwork for a summit meeting of APEC leaders in October.
"Given that China chairs APEC this year, a strong message of support from these meetings should help the negotiations on the outstanding issues to facilitate China's entry and make progress on launching a new global trade round [in Qatar]," said a Japanese foreign ministry official.
Taiwan will only be permitted to enter the WTO after China is admitted under the insisitence of Beijing and its friends already in the organaization.
Sour diplomatic relations between China and the US are seen as the biggest obstacle to progress, with a series of damaging diplomatic issues heightening tensions between Washington and Beijing, the most serious was the collision of a US spy plane and a Chinese fighter on April 1.
However, hints of warmer ties appeared last week with US President George Bush on Friday formally asking Congress to renew normal trade relations with China, saying it will help foster "a strong and productive relationship." Bush's decision will set the stage for a vote in Congress on the renewal of normal trade relations this summer.
Renewing normal trade status for China will allow it to continue shipping its goods to the US at the low tariff levels enjoyed by most nations.
Last year Congress voted to grant China permanent normal trade relations, effectively ending the annual vote on the issue. But that measure was dependent on China's entry into the WTO, which remains stalled over disagreements between the US and China on agricultural subsidies.
Pierre-Louis Girard, chairman of the WTO China working party, was quoted as saying last week that the next multilateral meetings on China's accension to the WTO will be held in Geneva, from June 28 running to July 3 or July 4.
Diplomats had said that "some progress" had been made in the most recent US-Sino bilateral meetings, according to the report. However, the agenda of the next working party meeting very much depends on what happens on the sidelines of the Shanghai APEC forum.
The new US trade representative, Robert Zoellick, plans to meet with China's trade minister, Shi Guangsheng (石廣生), for the first time next week in Shanghai.
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