WASHINGTON. Oct 9: A senior Clinton administration official yesterday played down China's chances of joining the World Trade Organisation this year, citing slow progress In talks with the United States and the Europeans, says Reuters.

Commerce Secretary William Daley said it would be "very difficult" for China to wrap up negotiations with the United States.' the. European ' Union and others as required to join the 134-member WTO In time for the lunch of global ■ trade talks in Seattle in late November.

Daley's remarks reflecting growing pessimism within the Clinton administration and the business community that a market-opening pact could be reached in the weeks that remain before the Seattle meeting.

So far US and Chinese negotiators have been hard-pressed to settle their differences over US access to the vast Chinese market, potentially the world's largest with 1.2 billion consumers.

Some business leaders and analysts said the best they could hope for was an agreement early next year. But that could create new obstacles in

the US Congress as lawmakers gird for battle ahead of the 2000 presidential and congressional elections.

Chinese officials have been more upbeat about their bid to join the WTO this year. "Whether China can join the WTO has now become a political decision." China's Minister of Foreign Trade Shi Guangsheng told state media on Wednesday.

Daley rejected that notion

"Some people think this is fust a political move. It isn't. These are serious negotiations that will impact how we all trade for many years. It's got to be done right," he told reporters in Washington before leaving on a trade mission to the Middle East.

US-China talks have been marred by a dispute over market-opening concessions proposed by Premier Zhu Rongji during a state visit to Washington in April.

The United States wants China to recommit to that package, which include unprecedented tariff cuts and increased access in areas such as agriculture, telecommunications and financial services.

Washington also hoped to wring additional concessions

out of Beijing to open China’s financial and banking sectors, and to improve safeguards against surges in Chinese exports of steel and textiles.

But Beijing, in the aftermath of NATO's bombing of its embassy in Belgrade in May. has balked at US demands.

Trade sources said Shi and US Trade Representative Charlene Barshefsky hoped to resume negotiations in mid-to-late October.

That would give US and Chinese’officials only a few weeks to strike a deal before WTO ministers gathered in Seattle from Nov 30 to Dec 3.

It also would leave President Bill Clinton little time to persuade a sceptical Congress to go along.

To finalise any pact, the Republican-controlled Congress must grant China permanent most-favoured nation trade status, which the United States now refers to as Normal Trade Relations (NTR). That would guarantee Chinese goods the same low tariff access to US markets as nearly every other nation.

The clock is running. Every week that goes by makes it more and more difficult." Daley said. "We re committed to see it. but it's up the Chinese."