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Working Party Begins Session on China's WTO Entry
China's long-awaited entry to the World Trade Organization (WTO) is now very close with the 16th China WTO working party session opening Thursday in Geneva.
WTO experts said that whether China could complete its bid to the economic super-group before the Ministerial Conference in Doha this November depends on the results of the one-week working-party session.
China and the United States and the European Union had reached a comprehensive consensus earlier this month on outstanding problems over the multilateral talks on China's entry into the WTO.
This has created important conditions for an overall conclusion of substantial talks at the ongoing session of China's working party.
Most WTO members hope that China can become a full member before the Doha meeting and China also holds a "positive attitude" towards that, said Chinese chief negotiator Long Yongtu before leaving Beijing.
WTO Director-General Mike Moore said that once the substantial issues were agreed, the WTO secretariat would need at least three months to complete the difficult technical work.
He said that getting China in before Doha was "technically possible, but very difficult".
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