U.S. Promises to Press for Taiwan's WTO Bid

August 8, 2000

By Adam Entous

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Clinton administration voiced strong support on Tuesday for bringing Taiwan into the World Trade Organization and said Beijing had promised not to stand in the way, hoping to address U.S. senators' concerns before they vote on a landmark China trade bill in September.

Warning that China may try to keep Taiwan out of the Geneva-based World Trade Organization (WTO), 31 U.S. senators including Republican Leader Trent Lott of Mississippi asked President Clinton to reaffirm the administration's long-standing support for bringing Taipei into the trade body immediately after Beijing completes its own accession.

``We remain fully committed to the goal of having the WTO ... approve the accession packages of China and Taiwan at the same session,'' said White House National Security Council spokesman P.J. Crowley.

Despite wrangling within the WTO over Taiwan's status, China has repeatedly told the Clinton administration that it would not oppose Taipei's accession, U.S. officials said.

The U.S. Senate is expected to vote in September on legislation that would grant permanent normal trade relations (PNTR) to China, ending the annual ritual of reviewing Beijing's trade status and guaranteeing Chinese goods the same low-tariff access to U.S. markets as the products of nearly every other nation.

In exchange for the benefits, China has agreed to open a wide range of markets, from agriculture to telecommunications, to U.S. businesses under the terms of a landmark agreement ushering Beijing into the WTO.

The trade bill has already won U.S. House of Representatives approval, and there is broad bipartisan support for it in the Senate.

But White House officials fear that opponents of the pact will use the controversy surrounding Taiwan's accession to delay the Senate vote.

Some lawmakers have threatened to add amendments to the trade bill, including one that would strengthen U.S. military ties with Taiwan. If any amendments are approved by the Senate, PNTR could be scuttled for the year.

Like Beijing, Taipei has reached agreements with Washington and other WTO members on joining the global trade body, but a long-standing ``understanding'' between WTO members calls for Taiwan's accession after China's.

In their letter to Clinton, the senators said they were concerned that ``Beijing may be planning to take actions that would have the effect of blocking Taiwan's accession.''

The senators were referring to reports that Beijing wanted to enshrine in the WTO accession agreement its cherished ``one China'' policy, which considers Taiwan and the mainland as parts of a united China.

``Taiwan is the United States' eighth largest trading partner, and we support its admission to the WTO as soon as it meets the criteria for membership,'' the senators wrote.

U.S. officials said they made clear to China that Washington would oppose the move as ``irrelevant and unacceptable.''

The White House is drafting a letter to Senate leaders spelling out the administration's position on Taiwan's accession to the WTO. It is expected to be completed by the end of next week.