U.S. trade negotiator backs China's WTO bid

U.S. trade negotiator backs China's WTO bid

SHANGHAI (AFP): The top U.S. trade negotiator Wednesday threw the support of the Bush administration behind Chinese WTO membership, but he said it was still too early to say when China would join the global trade body.

U.S. Trade Representative Robert Zoellick, speaking after talks in Shanghai with Chinese Foreign Trade Minister Shi Guangsheng, said he felt China was still committed to World Trade Organization (WTO) membership.

"As to the exact timing (of China's WTO entry) I cannot say and do not know but there is good faith commitment on all sides to push forward," Zoellick told a news conference.

Zoellick said he recognised WTO accession was a "contentious issue" within China because of the painful commitments it would have to make to transform its economy.

However he stressed that China would have to take significant steps to unblock problems hanging over its bid if it wanted to become a WTO member by the end of the year.

The meeting between Zoellick and Shi came ahead of a two-day meeting of trade ministers from the 21-member Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum which opens in Shanghai on Wednesday.

More than a year after China signed bilateral deals with the United States and the European Union paving the way for its accession to the WTO, there is still no clear timetable for when it can become a member.