TEXT: ACTING USTR BARSHEFSKY 3/6 COMMENTS ON CHINA WTO TALKS
(China showing more commitment to market reforms)

Washington -- Working Party discussions in Geneva this week have seen some progress with regard to China's commitment to meaningful market reforms, according to Acting U.S. Trade Representative Charlene Barshefsky.

"China has now evidenced a greater understanding of the WTO (World Trade Organization) requirements and what must be done to fulfill them. China must in turn provide the specifics as to how the end points will be achieved," Barshefsky said in a March 6 press release.

Barshefsky stressed that China's accession to the WTO will be determined by the specific commitments the Chinese government is willing to undertake with regard to such issues as market access, elimination of tariffs and non-tariff barriers, statutory inspection, transparency and judicial review, customs valuation, subsidies, agricultural trade practices, and trade in services.

"We will continue to press for fundamental reforms in our bilateral talks with China and through the multilateral process now underway at the WTO," she said.

Following is the text of a March 6 press release from the office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR):

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AMBASSADOR BARSHEFSKY COMMENTS ON CHINA WTO TALKS

U.S. Trade Representative-Designate Charlene Barshefsky today issued the following comment with regard to Working Party discussions in Geneva this week pertaining to China's accession to the WTO:

"We have seen some new progress during the WTO talks this week with regard to China's commitment to meaningful market reforms, particularly in the area of trading rights which are critical to addressing our market access concerns. In our December 1994 'road map' and the Geneva talks, we have established the critical end points for China's WTO accession. China has now evidenced a greater understanding of the WTO requirements and what must be done to fulfill them. China must in turn provide the specifics as to how the end points will be achieved.

"Make no mistake, China's accession to the WTO will be determined by the specific commitments the Chinese government is willing to undertake with regard to such issues as market access, elimination of tariffs and non-tariff barriers, statutory inspection, transparency and judicial review, customs valuation, subsidies, agricultural trade practices, and trade in services.

"We will continue to press for fundamental reforms in our bilateral talks with China and through the multilateral process now underway at the WTO. We have been working at this for some time. Initial negotiations to bring China into the world trading system began in 1986. Our negotiating team has been engaged directly on a range of issues including market access for U.S. agricultural goods and manufactured products, enforcement of our 1995 and 1996 IPR agreements, textiles trade, elimination of tariff barriers, and gaining market access for our services industries."

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