This report is written by Our Staff Reporter Gong Wen, on her interview with Long Yongtu, chief negotiator of MOFTEC. The report runs in full as follows:

The happy news about the signing of a bilateral agreement between China and the United States on China's entry into the World Trade Organization (WTO) has aroused strong repercussions among various social circles. How to comprehensively and objectively look upon the recent negotiation? On November 16, this reporter, with this question in mind, had an exclusive interview with Long Yongtu, vice-minister and chief negotiator of the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation (MOFTEC).

Long Yongtu, who has served for many years as an important member of the negotiation body for China's entry into the WTO, appeared to be very calm at the moment. He said the agreement reached between China and the United States this time represents a decisive step taken by China over a course of 13 years of negotiation, it means a breakthrough progress has really been achieved. The signing of the agreement indeed embodies the graceful bearing and decision-making abilities of the leaders of the two countries, particularly the far-sightedness of Chinese top leaders, thus solving the problem regarding China joining the WTO, that has long been plaguing the Sino-US relationship, at this important historical moment of the turn of this century.

Long Yongtu said that Sino-US relationship has experienced many twists and difficulties, the eventual signing of the accord through very arduous negotiations between the two sides this time not only helps further improve Sino-US ties, it also shows that no matter how many differences there are in the political systems, ideologies and the concept of value between the two countries, the two sides can join hands for cooperation in dealing with some major issues so long as they can stand on a high plane of strategy and display the spirit of equality, mutual benefit, mutual respect and seeking common grounds while reserving differences. The US Delegation has made clear-cut promise that it will try its utmost to spur the US Congress to pass a resolution on granting China a permanent most favored nation status at an early date, and to bring Sino-US economic and trade ties on to the path of healthy and steady development, so as to drastically reduce the political factors that obstruct Sino-US economic and trade relations.

Long Yongtu said that success in negotiation has enabled people to see China's determination to persist in reform, opening to the outside world and merge itself with the mainstream of the world economy. Under the general trend of the economic globalization, if China cannot effectively participate in the formulation of international economic and trade rules, it will hamper the country's participation in the process of economic globalization. At the new round of multilateral trade talks soon to begin, many new international economic and trade regulations will be formulated, China's participation will increase the voice of the developing countries, so that the rules for the new game will become more balanced and more beneficial to the developing countries.

While referring to the opening of the market, the focus of the negotiation, Long Yongtu said that one must not say opening means a kind of concession, even if we did not engage in negotiations with the United States, we will also constantly expand the fields of opening. Opening to the outside world is a basic national policy, practice in the past 20 years has proved that the earlier a trade is opened, the faster is its development, many domestic enterprises have developed and grown stronger precisely through the operation of Sino-foreign joint ventures. The utilization of foreign capital may exert some impact on us, but more often what it brings about is benefit and development through competition. Although this year has witnessed a drop in China's utilization of foreign capital, expansion of the field of opening, particularly the further opening of the service trades which have a high technological content and great potential for development, will create more new hot areas for foreign investment, revert the present foreign capital downward trend and help improve the quality and level of the attraction of foreign funds. In addition, under the agreement, China will act according to international rules, this, too, cannot be regarded as concession either. Abiding by rules is the bounden duty of every responsible country. If it is said to be a concession, then all WTO members have already made concessions. In international economy and trade, the question of confidence is the key issue, acting according to rules can help improve the investment environment and dramatically reinforce the confidence of foreign investors, so as to make competition become more transparent and orderly.

Long Yongtu stressed that, of course, with regard to the areas affecting the national economy and people's livelihood and having major economic benefits, we must always insist that the Chinese side must grasp the initiative and control power, for example, we had contested to the end and refused to budge an inch over the question regarding stock holding for the telecom industry. Take the agricultural field for another example, we stuck to the right of exclusive sales of wheat, corn, rice, cotton, sugar, edible oil, chemical fertilizer and some other products to guarantee that the State has enough macro-control means, avoiding harm to the interests of the millions of hundreds of Chinese farmers.

This vice-minister, who has experienced countless winds and rains on the conference table, said the opening drive itself is nothing to be afraid of, the key lies in holding fast to the principle in the course of opening and instituting managed and conditional opening. China and the United States reached an agreement on the basis of mutual benefit from opening, one must not see only China's opening, after China's entry into the WTO, other countries will also open their doors to us on same conditions, this is a good, "double-gain" matter.

Long Yongtu said in conclusion that accession to the WTO will enable China to gain its due posi-tion in this "Economic United Nations". Reaching an agreement with the United States can be regarded as concluding a most difficult bilateral negotiation, removing the greatest obstacle on the road to China's accession to the WTO. Currently, however, China has not as yet reached bilateral accords with 23 other WTO members including the EU and Canada, so much arduous work remains to be done.