Travel  |  Business World  |  Women's World  |  Entertainment

Change Your Life!

China accuses Mexico of blocking its WTO membership

News
Sports
Chat
Travel
Dhaka Today
Yellow Pages
Higher Education
Ask a Doctor
Weather
Currency Rate
Horoscope
E-Cards
B2K Poll
Comment on the Site
B2K Club

November 14, 2000 

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Brunei (AP) - China accused Mexico on Monday of blocking its attempt to join the World Trade Organization, saying Mexican negotiators are demanding unreasonable concessions.

Mexico is the only major WTO member that hasn't agreed on entry terms with China, which has pursued membership for 14 years. Other members have endorsed Chinese membership in exchange for market-opening concessions, and Beijing has begun negotiations with WTO officials on final details of its membership.

"The reason we still haven't reached an agreement is that Mexican demands are too high. They are higher than any country has asked for," Chinese Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan told reporters at a gathering of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum. Tang wouldn't give any details, saying only that Mexico asked for "something that we haven't promised any country, not even the United States."

Mexican officials were not immediately available for comment in Brunei.

Earlier Chinese negotiations with the United States and other governments have been marked by similar public criticism and accusations of denying Beijing its rightful place in the global free-trade body.

China has expressed optimism that it can join the WTO as early as next month, despite a series of difficult outstanding issues.

On Monday, Chinese Trade Minister Shi Guangsheng said that after Chinese talks with officials at WTO headquarters in Geneva last week no "important obstacles" were left in its final membership negotiations.

Negotiators last week reported "substantial progress" on issues including a system to handle trade disputes. But they said talks are still under way in key areas, including farm policy, import quotas and Chinese protection for foreign patents and copyrights.

"The biggest obstacles are details in the formulation of the protocol. There are no important obstacles," Shi told reporters before meeting on Monday morning in Brunei with U.S. Commerce Secretary Norman Mineta.

Officials of China's trading partners have been less optimistic. They say difficult unresolved issues - including subsidies to communist state industry and how foreign companies will be treated equally with Chinese competitors- could obstruct final agreement for some time.

WTO membership is China's paramount foreign policy goal, and Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan expressed confidence in Brunei on Sunday that it could be achieved this year.

Chinese leaders want freer trade in part to force state-dominated industries to modernize. But they also want generous protections for those companies as they begin to face stronger foreign rivals.

Despite exports of more than dlrs 200 billion a year and rapidly maturing industries, China insists it is still a developing nation and needs more time than advanced economies to adapt to phase out trade barriers and adapt to WTO rules.