Brussels, 17/09/2001 (Agence Europe) - The world Trade Organisation (WTO) provided its green light on Monday to China's accession that has been waiting on the organisation's doorstep for fifteen years now. The decision will take effect thirty days after the end of the national ratification procedure or, most likely early next year. In the wake, the candidacy connected - of Taiwan as Chinese Taipeh should be approved by the competent working group on Tuesday. The working group on China's accession has recommended to the 142 member countries to ratify Beijing's accession at the ministerial meeting in Doha (9-13 March).
"This evening, the working group on China's accession completed its work (….). The negotiators of member governments strove unceasingly and the results speak for themselves. We are close to integrating China in the multilateral trading system", Mike Moore, WTO Director General. Was pleased to announce on Friday at the end of a week of intensive informal negotiations, prolonged by a few hours following the attacks against the United States.
The group met again on Monday to ratify the results of these informal talks, punctuated by the conclusion of the last bilateral agreement in suspense, between Beijing and Mexico, and the agreement of a compromise formula on the treatment of foreign insurers in the country, persistent subject of dispute between Brussels and Washington that was the last obstacle to the accession. This formula, that may satisfy the demands of each in the sector, reflects the promises Beijing made in 1999, both to the United States and to the EU while recalling the demand for non-discrimination which members of the WTO must answer to. In Brussels, satisfaction was complete and the results was being interpreted as the agreement of the "same rules for all", in other words, "if the rule varies, it varies for all". The feeling was the same on the American side, where the Chief negotiator, Jeffrey Bader, for his part, spoke of "a language that preserves China's commitments to the United States". You may recall that the transatlantic agreement concerned the treatment of the American giant AIG, which has been the pioneer in foreign insurance firms in China and as such has 100% control of its operations, whereas Beijing had agreed with the Union to ceiling foreign stakes in secrtoral "joint-ventures" at 50%.
After finalising the 800-page document, that details China's undertaking to open its market to foreign goods and services and to respect the commercial rules of play, the working group recommended to the trade ministers of the 142 to welcome this new member amongst them in Doha. European Commissioner Pascal Lamy said he was "very satisfied at seeing 15 years of hard labour bear its fruit. The WTO aims to peacefully link parties amongst themselves through close trade ties within a multilateral system", he recalled, welcoming the fact that "in these difficult times, the important work that has just ended today in Geneva should procure this system and all of us a very precious impetus of confidence and hope in the future". For Long Yongty, Beijing's Head Negotiator, the so awaited outcome marks "the end of the beginning" of a lengthy process of implementing complex texts that his country has been negotiating since 1986, date at which it submitted its candidacy to GATT, ancestor of the WTO.