US Trade Representative Charlene Barshefsky had discussions with Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji and Foreign Trade Minister Shi Guangsheng yesterday on China's bid to join the WTO, the Chinese Foreign Trade Ministry said.
Talks extended into yesterday evening, state television reported. "China-US negotiations on a Chinese entry into the WTO are continuing," state TV said in its prime-time news program, without elaborating.
An official Chinese newspaper quoted a senior government official as saying the talks could last several more days and Beijing was still optimistic they would end in success.
Barshefsky's meeting with Zhu took place in the late morning, while she met with Shi a few hours later, according to Foreign Trade Ministry officials who asked not to be identified.
The fact that she was talking to Zhu, a more senior government leader and a high-profile supporter of China's WTO bid on a fourth, unscheduled day in China may suggest a last-ditch effort to reach an agreement during her current trip to China.
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