| World Trade Organisation chief Mike Moore said on Friday he believed
China would be a member of the trade body before WTO ministers next meet in Qatar in
November.
"It is an accession that is getting down to the last difficult phase,"
Moore told a conference of Australian academics by audio link from Geneva.
The biggest stumbling blocks to China's entry to WTO remain agriculture and
services, Moore said -- while talks also continue on technical barriers to trade and
industrial subsidies.
"All participants understand that these issues will need to be dealt with as
a package. Now provided that the concerned capitals take the difficult decisions required,
I'm convinced that China's...accession should go through before the Doha ministerial
conference," he said, referring to the Qatar meet.
The WTO works by consensus and it was up to members to approve China's entry,
Moore said.
"I can report to you from Washington and elsewhere where I've been in the
last few months that there is a determination to make this happen."
Chinese Trade Minister Shi Guangsheng said on Tuesday membership was "not far
off".
(Agencies) |
