WASHINGTON, Apr 3: The United States believes the Chinese have made some significant trade offers in their bid to join the World Trade Organisation but significant obstacles remain to a deal, a spokesman said here, reports Reuters.

US Trade Representative Charlene Barshefsky briefed senior White House officials on Thursday on her latest visit to Beijing trying to settle market access issues before a complete WTO package can be worked out.

"They agreed that what China had put on the table to date was not good enough but they were open to listening to see if China came back with anything that provided more market access." said White House spokesman Jake Siewert.

He said there may be further discussions before Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji visits Washington next week but that the trip was not a deadline for a deal.

Zhu is scheduled to visit the United States from April 6 to 14.

There are four of five areas where US officials are looking for new offers, said Siewert.

"They have certainly made some significant offers but there are major gaps still in all the areas as in any trade deal. Nothing is agreed to until the entire deal is agreed to." he said.

The White House is likely to have a tough time selling any China WTO package to Congress where anti-China feelings have been running high following allegations that China stole nuclear secrets from a US research lab and used them to enhance their warhead capability.

China has denied the allegations and accused some in Washington of clinging to a "cold war mentality."

Congress would not have to approve a China WTO accession deal, but lawmakers would have to vote on granting Beijing permanent trading privileges.

Currently congress votes annually on whether to give Chinese goods the same tariff treatment granted to nearly every other country in the world.