Director-general of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Mike Moore hailed the China-US accord on China's accession to WTO, calling the bilateral agreement a significant step.

"This is a major step forward in China's accession to the WTO," Moore told reporters here. "I have said many times that we are not a World Trade Organization until China has joined."

However, the WTO chief cautioned that substantial work remains before China becomes a full member of the organization, which now has 135 members.

"China must still reach agreement with other member governments and we need to complete important technical talks before China can take her rightful place at the table of great trading nations," he said.

"But this significant breakthrough has certainly given this process real momentum," Moore said, adding, "a door to history has been opened and now member governments must walk through it together."