(10 Mar 2000) Mandarin/Nat
China and Thailand have signed a bilateral agreement in support of Chinese entry into the World Trade Organization (W-T-O).
China is coming closer to completing its 14-year quest to join the rule-making trade body.
The last major W-T-O member holding out on a deal is the European Union although the bloc's chief trade negotiator Pascal Lamy is expected in Beijing this month to finalize an agreement.
China's Foreign Trade & Economic Cooperation Minister Shi Guangsheng and Thai Deputy Prime Minister Supachai Panitchpakdi signed the document at a ceremony in Beijing on Friday.
No details of the agreement have been announced.
A spokesperson for the Thai Embassy said that no information on the trade concessions reached between the two countries will be available until at least next week.
China is a major buyer of rubber products from Thailand, the world's largest natural rubber producer.
Under existing trade policy, China imposes strict import quotas on rubber which will be eventually wound back under the W-T-O's free trade rules.
Supachai -- who is due to take over leadership of the W-T-O from current Director-General Mike Moore in 2002 -- said he hopes that China's entry will help to promote the interests of the less developed member states.
SOUNDBITE (English):
"China will play a role that would help to create more understanding between the members of the World Trade Organization and bring about more equality in the allocation of benefits among countries concerned."
SUPERCAPTION: Supachai Panitchpakdi, Thai Deputy Prime Minister and Commerce Minister
China must sign deals with all W-T-O members to meet its goal of early entry this year into the global rule-making body.
As China also reached a bilateral agreement with Colombia this week, China is nearing the end of its 14-year effort to join the W-T-O.
SOUNDBITE: (Mandarin)
"China's bilateral negotiations on China's W-T-O entry have entered a final stage. We will soon start to work with the W-T-O Secretariat on a multilateral agreement. China's access to the W-T-O is speeding up. The final entry of China into the W-T-O is not far."
SUPERCAPTION: Shi Guangsheng, Chinese Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation
The 15-nation European Union is the most important of China's trading partners that has yet to sign off on Beijing's entry to the W-T-O.
E-U Trade Commissioner Pascal Lamy is expected in Beijing in the week of March 27 to finalize an agreement.
SOUNDBITE (Mandarin):
"Except for certain issues that China cannot promise to anyone, the difference between the EU and China is very narrow. I believe when Mr. Lamy comes to China to negotiate we can reach a win-win agreement through mutual trust and equal discussions."
SUPERCAPTION: Shi Guangsheng, Chinese Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation
EU-China talks broke off last month without making enough progress on opening the Chinese market for the E-U to give the green light to China's membership of the Geneva-based trade body.
The main stumbling blocks for an agreement between the E-U and China are said to be technical and tariff issues, including mobile telecommunications and life insurance.
China has said it hopes to join the W-T-O in the first half of this year.
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