US Republican senator and presidential contender John McCain has warned of looming difficulties getting any trade deal with China passed by Congress - a move crucial to its World Trade Organisation (WTO) entry.
Senator McCain said he had long supported economic engagement with China but worried that considerable difficulties lay ahead.
'The President [Bill Clinton] has passed up a golden opportunity,' Senator McCain said, referring to the scotching of a deal with Premier Zhu Rongji in April despite wider-than-expected concessions.
'It's going to be difficult. Time is vital. He may have found the moment has gone.' Despite widespread support from pro-business groups for China's entry, analysts and insiders on all sides of the debate are warning that a smooth passage of a bilateral trade pact now under discussion is no 'fait accompli'.
Some Republican factions are increasingly suspicious of Beijing while the textile lobby is also protesting amid signs the already troubled industry will take a short-term hit.
Hopes expressed by some American officials at the weekend, after the summit involving President Jiang Zemin and Mr Clinton, that a deal could be wrapped up in two weeks are looking slim amid signs of difficult negotiations ahead.