DATE=2/23/2000
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
TITLE=CHINA-EU-W-T-O (L ONLY)
NUMBER=2-259475
BYLINE=ROGER WILKISON
DATELINE=BEIJING
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: China and the European Union are holding a
third day of critical talks aimed at securing a trade
deal that will lead to Beijing's entry into the World
Trade Organization. VOA correspondent Roger Wilkison
reports European diplomats say that -- so far -- the
two sides have been unable to achieve a breakthrough
in the negotiations.
TEXT: Though the European Union mission in Beijing
and the Chinese Foreign Trade Ministry have imposed a
news blackout on the talks, diplomats from two E-U
member countries say little progress has been made
toward striking a deal.
The diplomats say the main obstacles continue to be
China's refusal to meet E-U demands that Beijing allow
greater access to the Chinese market for European
insurance and telecommunications firms.
Negotiators have broken up into two groups to try to
reach what one diplomat calls technical agreements in
different fields. But he says that - based on the
discussions so far - there is little chance that E-U
Trade Commissioner Pascal Lamy will be traveling to
the Chinese capital anytime soon to nail down a final
accord.
China needs the consent of all of the W-T-O's 135
members to join global trade's rule-making body. The
E-U is the most important of those members that have
not yet signed such a pact with Beijing.
On Tuesday, China signed a trade deal with India,
leaving the E-U and 12 other W-T-O members to finalize
agreements with Beijing.
Before the latest round of China-E-U trade talks began
on Monday, E-U officials listed telecommunications and
financial services --including insurance -- as the
main points of contention. They also said the E-U
would seek lower tariffs on certain goods produced by
individual E-U member countries, such as English gin,
Scotch whisky, French cosmetics and Italian leather
products. (SIGNED)
NEB/RW/FC
23-Feb-2000 05:02 AM EDT (23-Feb-2000 1002 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
.
|
NEWSLETTER
|
|
Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list
|
|
|
