Brussels, 11/01/2000 (Agence Europe) - The Director General for External Trade in the European Commission, Hans-Friedrich Beseler, is to meet Chinese Deputy Minister for Trade, Long Yongtu, in Brussels within the next two weeks to continue bilateral negotiations on the modalities for China's joining the WTO. The dates of 17 or 24 January have been mooted by several Community sources, but remain to be confirmed.
The EU would like to broaden twenty or so points Chinese erga omnes concessions secured in November by the United States. In the services sector, the EU would, notably, like to secure the ability for European life insurance and mobile telecommunications companies to be able to have a stake superior to 50% in companies in China, as well as greater access to retailing and tourism services. In the industrial sector, the EU is seeking to reduce the Chinese tariff peaks on, among other things, automobiles, cognac, cosmetics and ceramic and glass.
After the United States, Canada and Japan, the EU is the last major industrial power to have to reach a bilateral agreement with China on conditions for accession to the WTO.