AUCKLAND. Sept 8: The United States will press China to make additional concessions to win support from Washington for its bid to Join the World Trade Organisation. US Commerce Secretary William Daley said today, reports Reuters.

Daley said China must go beyond the market-opening terms it proposed in April if it hoped to complete a deal with President Bill Clinton and get it through the US Congress this year.

If China refused "it would be very difficult to expect that that deal would survive." he said in an interview with Reuters.

To become a member of the WTO, which sets global trading rules. China must complete a series of trade agreements with individual countries, including the United States.

Washington and Beijing were close to reaching a WTO agreement in April during Premier Zhu Rongji's visit to the United States.

China agreed to reduce tariffs. open markets and increase access to such areas as agriculture. telecommunications and financial services.

But Clinton backed away from a final deal to try to win more concessions on textiles, ba'nking and anti-dumping is-, sues.

Clinton administration officials also wanted more time to convince sceptical lawmakers that a trade pact with China would benefit the United States.

That upset some American business leaders and free-trade supporters in Congress, who accused Clinton of bowing to political pressure. They argued that China had offered enough tariff cuts and market access in April, and urged Clinton to conclude a deal at APEC or shortly thereafter.

Clinton and Chinese President Jiang Zemin will meet on Saturday on the sidelines of the . Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in Auckland, Npw Zealand.

US officials hope it could lead to the formal resumption of negotiations, which stalled in May after NATO's bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade.

Daley said on Wednesday those negotiations could be finalised in as little as two weeks

time, clearing the way for China to join the 134-member trade body by year's end. as planned. We all are. I think, desirous of seeing China into the WTO sooner rather than later," Daley said.

Membership up to US: Beijing

According to another report from Canberra. Chinese President Jiang Zemin said today he would discuss China's bld to Join the WTO at a summit with US President Bill Clinton in New Zealand next week, but insisted the ball was in the US court.

China broke off talks with the United States on its quest to join the World Trade Organisation in fury at the US bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade in May.

But Jiang indicated the political atmosphere had cleared sufficiently to allow agreement, calling Clinton "my old friend" and saying he was reluctant to mention the bombing.

"I'm really reluctant to mention what happened on the 8th of May this year."