FTA with ASEAN a priority: China<\/p>\n
Agence France-Presse, Singapore<\/p>\n
China views the conclusion of a free trade agreement (FTA)
\nwith ASEAN as a priority, but is not excluding possible bilateral
\ndeals with some countries in the region, a report said on
\nThursday.<\/p>\n
Long Yongtu, China's vice minister at the Ministry of Foreign
\nTrade and Economic Cooperation, said in an interview with the
\nStraits Times that some ASEAN countries such as Thailand have
\nexpressed desire for an FTA with China.<\/p>\n
"At this juncture, we think maybe we should focus our efforts
\nmore on the ASEAN-China FTA rather than bilateral ones," said
\nLong, China's chief negotiator in its successful bid for entry
\ninto the World Trade Organization (WTO).<\/p>\n
"But I don't think we exclude the possibility of having some
\nbilateral FTAs with some of the ASEAN countries as a stepping
\nstone, as part and parcel of the overall FTA between ASEAN and
\nChina," he said.<\/p>\n
China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
\nlast year completed a blueprint to create the world's largest
\nfree-trade bloc of nearly two billion people within 10 years.<\/p>\n
The framework provides for an "early harvest" provision under
\nwhich China and the 10-member ASEAN can open up certain sectors
\nto each other even before the FTA actually takes effect as a sign
\nof goodwill.<\/p>\n
Long, who was on a visit to Singapore, said these could
\npossibly cover agricultural products like tropical fruits,
\naccording to the report.<\/p>\n
However, Long said China was constrained by its negotiating
\ncapacities and had to focus on selected areas.<\/p>\n
"China has just entered into the WTO (World Trade
\nOrganization). We are really not familiar with all these very
\nsophisticated negotiations and also our negotiating capacities
\nare not very strong.<\/p>\n
"So we have to focus on a few things rather than to try to do
\nmany things at the same time," he said.<\/p>\n
ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia,
\nMyanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.<\/p>\n
The group has been losing out to China in terms of foreign
\ninvestments partly because of cheaper labor costs there, but
\nofficials have said the giant Chinese market also offers vast
\nopportunities. `<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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