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China Welcomes Clinton's Inking of PNTR Trade Bill
Chinese officials Wednesday hailed the signing by US President Bill Clinton of a bill granting Beijing permanent normal trading relations (PNTR) with Washington.
A spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation told reporters: "Permanent normal trade relations between China and the United States will bring huge benefits to both sides and is in the interests of the peoples of both nations."
"This clears a long-standing obstacle to the improvement of relations between China and the United States."
The spokesman also confirmed US Trade Representative Charlene Barshefsky was coming to Beijing to discuss key trade issues.
On Tuesday Clinton signed the PNTR bill after years of bickering in the US Congress over whether Washington should give up an annual vote on the renewal of trade relations.
PNTR guarantees China the same irrevocable low tariff access to US markets as other American trading partners in return for a promise by China to throw open their vast markets to US firms.
The Chinese trade official, however, voiced concerns over conditions attached to the bill.
"The bill contains certain clauses that are irrelevant to trade and are intended for interfering in the internal affairs of China and harming China's interests," he said.
Confirming Barshefsky's coming visit, the official refused to announce the arrangements or who she would meet.
"As far as we understand US Trade Representative Barshefsky will come to China soon. The relevant program is being arranged," the spokesman said.
According to US officials in Washington, Barshefsky was expected to meet Premier Zhu Rongji to discuss the market openings and tariff cuts that formed the basis of both US acceptance of China's accession to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and the PNTR bill.
Multi-lateral meetings on China's WTO accession at WTO headquarters in Geneva have hit snags over how China plans to implement bilateral trade agreements it has made with 36 WTO member nations.
Some WTO members have expressed fears that China is positioning itself to renege on its commitments to protect local markets from global competition after WTO accession.
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