Chinese call to link APEC support with GATT rejected

Chinese call to link APEC support with GATT rejected

WASHINGTON (AFP): The United States rejected Wednesday efforts
by China to link its support for the U.S.-backed development of
an Asia-Pacific regional free trade area to rapid admission for
Beijing to GATT.

The United States favors setting a target date for an Asia-
Pacific free trade area when leaders of the Asia-Pacific Economic
Cooperation (APEC) forum meet in Bogor, Indonesia next month.

But China is reticent towards the idea, and has reportedly
linked its support for a target date to full U.S. support for its
accession to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade.

"I do know that they have attempted to link this (APEC free
trade) to their admission to the GATT and WTO (World Trade
Organization)," U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian
and Pacific Affairs Winston Lord said.

"I don't think that should be linked with the Bogor
declaration issue."

U.S. Trade Representative Mickey Kantor denied earlier
Wednesday that China was trying to link the two issues, saying
"the Chinese have not said that to us."

Both Kantor and Lord expressed optimism that the APEC leaders
would agree to set a target date for economic liberalization
despite the current opposition from China and Malaysia.

Once China understood what was being talked about, Lord said,
he hoped Beijing would "see this as a political decision" rather
than signing on to an airtight detailed package and would agree
to the idea.

Malaysia is also known to be resisting the idea, but both Lord
and Kantor said they believed Japan was on board, despite reports
that Tokyo had urged hosts Indonesia to remove any target date
from the leaders' declaration.

"Every contact we have had with the Japanese in recent weeks
suggest their strong approval," Lord said.

Kantor meanwhile said that "the indications that we have are
that Japan will go along" with the target date.