CHINA attacked the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) yesterday for failing to represent the interests of developing countries. Long Yongtu, assistant minister at the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Co-operation, said in a speech to delegates of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) that this failing had been evident 'from the very first day, when GATT was born'. The attack comes as it becomes increasingly clear that China is expected to make more tariff reductions, and allow greater access to its markets, if it is to re-enter GATT and become a founder of the World Trade Organisation (WTO). Two more ministers from Beijing are apparently being asked to go to Geneva to join the latest round of talks. Yu Xiaosong, deputy director of the State Economic and Trade Commission, and Gu Yongjiang, a vice-minister of foreign trade, may join the already 20-strong negotiating team in a bid to bolster China's ailing campaign. On the final day of the talks between China and the United States, it became clear that China's top trading partners still felt more work needed to be done. Mr Long said he felt he was being 'flexible', and that he had expanded China's offers in the services sector, which the West is particularly keen to enter. In his talks with the US, he said there seemed to be different interpretations of what constituted a new offer. He did agree that the imposition of the year-end cut-off point had begun to have a positive impact. 'During the past few days more and more delegations have begun to realise the seriousness of this decision, and the decision has begun to play a positive role in the negotiations,' Mr Long said. He also reiterated his belief that the continued exclusion of China from the WTO 'will jeopardise the effectiveness and universality of the world trading system.'
