Brussels/Geneva, 09/01/2001 (Agence Europe) - China begins, this Wednesday, a new series of talks at seat of World Trade Organisation (WTO) in Geneva in view of reaching a multilateral agreement with 140 members over its accession. The meeting should continue in an informal manner until next 17 January, date on which the negotiations have been scheduled to be finalise and to determine the follow-up to the works. This should only be an additional stage in the fourteen year quest that Beijing could crown with success in the spring or summer 2001, according to the more moderate expectations of experts. The ambitious programme that the working group has set itself for this week nevertheless leaves the hope for substantial progress on the draft reports and protocols, notably with regards to the issues as delicate as the transitional assessment mechanism, trade rights (national trade), the criteria relating to the anti-dumping, anti-subsidy and specific safeguard procedures, textiles, access for services markets and technical barriers to trade. Moreover the finalisation work for these points and a few other floating technical aspects, China must still finalise all is bilateral negotiations, notably with Mexico, before the cleaning process for the accession texts (the two reports) together may be completed. Much remains to be done, but the head of the Chinese delegation, Long Yongtu nevertheless hoped, following the "critical" stage passed in December, that the WTO members will show flexibility and pragmatism, possible returning to Geneva with the "political will to conclude negotiations" at the start of this year.