|
|
 |
China | ||||||||||||
|
China, EU WTO Talks Concluded Without AgreementTalks between China and the European Union on China's accession into the World Trade Organization (WTO) broke down March 31, though both sides describe them as ``positive and constructive.''"The two sides made great efforts to bring about the result during the four-day talks between March 28-31," the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation (MOFTEC) said in a press release. "Both sides hope to reach agreement as soon as possible, and the negotiations will continue in the future." EU Trade Commissioner Pascal Lamy prepared to leave Beijing after deciding that a final agreement was "not possible at this stage," his spokesman, Anthony Gooch, told reporters. He said both sides had made concessions "resulting in a certain narrowing of differences.'' The 15-nation European Union is one of and also quite important of eight WTO members that have still to sign deals with China on the latter's entry into the Geneva-based body for world trade. "A final package should be balanced, taking due account of the important trading relationship between the EU and China," Gooch quoted Lamy as saying. No date was set for a future round of talks, he said. Chinese and EU officials have declined to give details on the obstacles to an agreement. Europe has been seeking greater access to China's automobile, insurance and telecommunications markets and more licenses for European insurers. After 14 years of trying, China has made joining WTO this year a priority. The MOFTEC news release also said Chinese trade minister Shi Guangsheng welcomes Lamy to come back again to Beijing for more talks.
 In This Section 
| ||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Copyright by People's Daily Online, all right reserved | | Mirror in U.S. | Mirror in Japan | Mirror in Edu-Net | Mirror in Tech-Net | |
