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Plane Collision Won't Affect China's WTO Accession: Long Yongtu
When asked whether the strain on China-US relations, resulted from the recent plane collision incident, would affect China's joining the WTO, Long Yongtu, vice-minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation, gave a negative answer.
Long Yongtu made the remark after being present on a public occasion in Hong Kong Tuesday. Having answered the question, Long added that this is because previously disturbances also appeared frequently in China-US relations, however, WTO entry represents a process of China's reform, opening-up and participation in economic globalization, the WTO entry negotiations, which have for many years gone through many disturbances and difficulties though, have never been suspended. This historical process will not cease, Long stressed.
When questioned whether the slowdown of US and Japanese economies will hinder the progress of China's export trade and its utilization of foreign investment, Long said since China's economic growth is driven mainly by its internal demands, under the circumstance of sluggish US and Japanese economies, China's exports will still register a big growth this year.
On another occasion, when asked whether strained China-US relations would affect China's WTO entry, Joshua C.K. LAW, director-general of Trade and Industry Department of HK SAR government, said that China's WTO membership represents a multilateral procedure, it does not concern only Sino-US relationship. He said as far as he himself is concerned, he, of course, hopes to see China join the WTO as soon as possible, adding that it is hard to make any guest at the present stage.
By PD Online staff member Du Minghua
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