GENEVA. Nov 10: Negotiations on China s entry’ to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) made breakthroughs this week and will resume next month to tackle outstanding issues, the chairman of the talks said yesterday, reports Reuters.

Paul-Henri Ravier. WTO deputy director-general, said political flexibility shown by major countries had produced deals on draft terms for China's entry in three ol the I I issues where agreement is needed before the world s biggest market can join the 139-nation trade body after 14 years of trying.

"China has clearly one foot in the place, here, and we have tn put the other foot." Ravier told a final news conference afier four-day talks in Geneva.

We consider that during the last few days we have launched a momentum, we have created a new dynamics to the process, which we have to build on." the

chairman added.

Long Yongtu. Chinas top negotiator, welcomed the provisional agreements on administering tariff-rate quotas for imports and a set of legal measures aimed at boosting foreign business confidence.

He also credited recent visits to China by US Trade Representative Charlene Barshefsky and European Trade Commissioner Pascal Lamy as having played a "very’ important, constructive role” in building momentum at the latest round.

Lamy, who visited Beijing last month to push for resolution of outstanding differences after the bilateral EU-China accord of last May, said on Wednesday he was confident that the talks on China’s entry could be finalised by the end of this year.

Ravier said agreement was close on protection of intellectual property (copyrights, trademarks and patents) and progress had been made on

quantitative import restrictions.

But he urged China and other delegations to press ahead on remaining thorny sectoral issues. like antidumping laws. commercial services, and textiles.

The remaining hurdles mean that China's goal ol entry by the end of the year look tough to achieve, according to diplomats.

The next meeting of the WTO working party negotiating the terms of China accession was set for December 5-8.

“If the WTO members have the political will to wrap up the negotiations at the next session ol the working party. China will make its best efforts to cooperate in reaching that goal. ”

Long said that by resolving what he termed the very’ sensitive issue of administration ol tariff-rate quotas. China had won support from Important agricultural exporting countries.