WTO chief says China close to membership

Moore hopes China can enter the WTO in time to participate in Qatar meetings

BEIJING, China -- China may enter the World Trade Organization in November, with only procedural issues remaining, WTO Director-General Mike Moore has said.

Moore told Reuters in an interview that China's "accession is going through quite neatly" and that political obstacles had been resolved.

"I think I'm now confident to say we are now into procedural issues, not issues of deep substance and difference," Moore said.

"I hate to say this because I was wrong last year, but it looks very good for this year."

WTO officials will gather in Doha, Qatar from November 9 to 13. Officials said in July that ministers from all the WTO countries could formally approve China's entry.

Moore hopes China can enter the WTO in time to participate in Qatar meetings, but he said approval was more likely to occur toward the end of the year.

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"It's an issue of can we get it done by the end of the year, by the beginning of next year, or can we possibly do it by Qatar. I would be very proud and pleased if we could do it by Qatar," he said.

Negotiations with Taiwan, regarded by China as a renegade province, were completed more than a year ago. There is an informal accord in the WTO that Taiwan can be admitted only after the mainland.

Global competition

China's entry will put it on equal footing under WTO rules with all other members and compel them to open their markets wider to Chinese products. It is expected to give a huge boost to global competition in consumer and agricultural goods.

It will also open the Chinese market of more than a billion people, one-sixth of the world's population, to foreign goods and services, like insurance, banking and telecommunications.

China's powerful State Development Planning Commission warned earlier this month of "macroeconomic problems" that would arise after entry into the WTO, and analysts have warned of a possible flood of grains imports due to easing tariffs.

Traders have speculated that China's recently announced restrictions on genetically modified foods are meant to control imports after WTO entry.

Moore said that even if that were true, the WTO at present could do nothing about it. He said there were no rules against restrictions on GMOs.

"We can only work with the rules that we have at the moment," Moore said.

"There are countries that are promoting these issues (over GMO foods) for consideration at Doha. ... There is certainly no consensus on this. It is an area of major difference still."