Sino-Indian WTO agreement today, China negotiates with EU

Beijing, February 21 (Hindustan Times) - A SINO-INDIAN agreement on

China's accession to the WTO and providing for the much required

political push to bilateral trade ties will be signed here tomorrow,

even as Beijing today intensified efforts to clinch deals with European

Union members to join the multilateral body.

Commerce and Industries Minister Murasoli Maran said that India is ready

to sign the agreement with China tomorrow with both sides concluding

negotiations on major issues.

"Our negotiations with China were devoid of any bickering," Maran said

in an obvious reference to long-drawn out negotiations between China,

the US and the European Union.

Official sources here said Beijing today resumed negotiations with the

European Union with hopes to conclude separate deals with its members

this week.

China must reach agreements with all wto members before it can join the

WTO that sets rules for global trade. The Sino-Indian agreement would be

a significant event in relations betwen the two countries at the start

of the new millennium, Maran saidafter a meeting with Chinese Foreign

Trade and Economic Cooperation Minister Shi Guangsheng here.

"I consider this as a great leap forward in India-China relations with

regard to trade and economic cooperation," Maran, who co-chaired the

sixth session of the India-China Joint Economic Group (JEG) meeting,

said.

"It is a milestone in the new millennium," he said, adding that the JEG

could spur Sino-Indian trade which hovered around two billion US dollars

in 1999.

Asked whether China has given concessions to India, Maran replied that

both sides were satisfied with the agreement to be inked tomorrow.

"India believes in a rule-based multilateral trading system and is very

keen that the rules should be fair and just," Maran said.

"We hold the view that the interests and concerns of the developing

countries should be addressed by the WTO," he said.

Responding to Indian support for China's accession to the WTO, Shi said

Chinese Government highly appreciates India's stand and agreed with New

Delhi's stand that the WTO should address the interests and concerns of

developing countries.

He also said China's accession to the WTO would also open up the vast

Chinese market for Indian goods. Murasoli Maran hoped that bilateral

trade could double as soon as possible with both governments adopting

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