Published by: World Tibet Network News, Satureday, May 5, 1996

BRUSSELS, May 3 (Reuter) - European Trade Commissioner Sir Leon Brittan heads to China on Sunday to start a four-day visit focusing on trade and political relations, and in particular the follow-up to the Euro-Asian summit in Bangkok in March.

"During his four-day visit Sir Leon Brittan will address the full range of issues pertaining to EU-China political and trade relations," the European Commission said in a statement issued on Friday.

It said this included China's stalled bid to join the World Trade Organisation, the Bangkok follow-up, regional security, market access and copyright -- an issue that has suddenly begun to strain relations between China and the United States again.

U.S. trade officials said on Tuesday that China's failure to implement a joint agreement to protect copyrights from widespread piracy was a top trade priority and sanctions against Chinese imports were possible.

"If the U.S. goes so far as to implement its trade retaliation, China will, according to its foreign trade law, take countermeasures to safeguard its sovereignty and national esteem," a Chinese spokesman said on Friday.

During his visit Brittan will sign four EU-China cooperation programmes covering training on copyright issues, education, the dairy sector and water buffalo development in the provinces of Yunnan, Guangxi and Guangdong.

Brittan's visit ends on May 8. He then flies to Japan for two days.