China and Mexico Conclude Negotiations on China's Accession to WTO

China and Mexico concluded bilateral negotiations on China's accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO) Thursday in Geneva.

The bilateral agreement was signed by Sha Zukang, ambassador of the Permanent Mission of China to the United Nations Office in Geneva, and Uardo Perez Motta, Mexican ambassador to the WTO.

Long Yongtu, China's chief negotiator and head of the Chinese delegation, said, "Today is an important day. The signing of the bilateral agreement marks the completion of all bilateral agreements with WTO members in China's WTO accession process."

He said that at the ongoing 18th session of the working party on China's accession to the WTO, members of the working party are making their final efforts toward China's accession to the WTO so as to conclude the negotiation which has already lasted for 15 years.

China's accession will strengthen the economic and trade cooperation between China and all other developing countries, including Mexico, said Long.

After joining the WTO, China looks forward to cooperating closely with developing countries in a joint effort to establish a new international economic order.

Motta said at the signing ceremony that the bilateral agreement demonstrated fully the goodwill of the Mexican government to promote Mexican-Chinese economic and trade relations.

He expressed his hope that China will become a WTO member in the near future.

The ongoing 18th working party session, which is originally scheduled from September 11 to 13, is postponed to September 17 due to the terrorist attack on the United States Tuesday.

The meeting is expected to approve all the documents including the China working party's report, the protocol on China's access to the WTO and its annex, and conclude all the work of the working party on China's accession.

EU: Terrorist Attacks in US Won't Influence China's WTO Entry Process

A spokesperson with EU said September 12 that China's WTO entry process is not suspended, but only the US delegation could not continue the discussion according to timetable.

When asked whether September 11's terrorist attacks in the US could influence China's WTO entry process, the spokesperson said that World Trade Organization did not halt China's accession process in any form.

However, China's 15-year quest to join the World Trade Organization (WTO) is clouded with new uncertainties.

The WTO China working group, scheduled to have concluded its work and wrapped up the legal documents on China's accession yesterday, decided to extend its meeting to Monday.

The US disaster has made it impossible for negotiators, and especially US officials, to focus on technical talks on the legal documents.

Speculation was rife among Chinese experts and officials that the WTO ministerial meeting, scheduled for Doha of Qatar in November, would also be a casualty of the suicide hijackers, who tore into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

Wang Zhile, a researcher with the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Co-operation under the foreign trade ministry, said that many countries, especially the US, would be reluctant to go ahead with the gathering because of security fears.

However, some others felt there should be no change to the Qatar meeting, or at least that it is premature to talk about such a possibility.

If the ongoing 18th meeting of the WTO China working group finalizes legal documents on the country's accession, as at first expected, China should be formally approved as a member at the November Doha meeting and become a formal member early next year, at the latest.

The last issue to be settled is a United States and European Union dispute over access to the Chinese insurance market. Overall, Chinese officials said what are left are but technical issues, such as checking and reviewing the legal documents on China's accession, including a multilateral agreement and the China working team's report.





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