A TEAM negotiating China's accession to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) will head to Geneva next month for a fresh round of talks. The news came after a meeting yesterday between Wu Yi, China's Foreign Trade Minister, and Chau Tak-hay, Hong Kong's Secretary of Trade and Industry at the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (Apec) forum. Ms Wu briefed Mr Chau on the progress of a meeting on Friday with United States Trade Representative Mickey Kantor. The meeting between Ms Wu and Mr Kantor focused on an informal working paper, presented to China when US Deputy Trade Representative Charlene Barshefsky visited Beijing last week. According to Mr Chau, Ms Wu said the paper had, for the first time, shown greater flexibility on the part of the US. 'To react positively to such flexibility, China has agreed to send the WTO accession negotiation team to Geneva next month to resume formal talks with the China WTO Accession Working Group,' Ms Wu said. As reported in the South China Morning Post yesterday, the working paper proposed 'transitional measures' permitting China to have phased-in obligations for certain trade sectors. China's admission to the WTO would be on partially-developed nation status allowing it the special treatment accorded developing countries for certain industries. Such treatment is subject to case-by-case negotiation.
