WTO WELCOMES CHINA-U.S. AGREEMENT ON CHINESE ACCESSION INTO WTO

WTO WELCOMES CHINA-U.S. AGREEMENT ON CHINESE ACCESSION INTO WTO    Mike Moore, director general of the World Trade Organization, welcomed on Monday the announcement during the weekend of a China-U.S. agreement on the Chinese accession to the WTO.
   Moore met with Chinese Trade Minister Shi Guangsheng and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Zoellick in Shanghai during the ministerial meeting of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum.
   'This weekend’s announcement clearly represents the push we needed to accelerate China’s accession, so that a decision on China’s membership can be taken by our Ministerial Conference in Doha, Qatar this November,' Moore said.
   Equally important, Moore said, is the declared intention of European Union Trade Commissioner Pascal Lamy to move swiftly to conclude outstanding EU issues with China.
   On Monday, the European Commission said it would work with China to resolve outstanding obstacles to China joining the WTO.
   The EC said that Lamy has also met Shi, 'thereby establishing the necessary contacts in order to reach an agreement in view of the forthcoming WTO working party meeting scheduled for June 28.'
   Moore urged all participants in the so-called China Accession Working Party to bridge remaining differences during their meeting from June 28 to July 4 in Geneva, so that a decision on China’s WTO membership can be taken this year.
   The accession of China to the WTO is widely expected to boost international trade to and from there.