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.