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China confident of success in WTO talks

BEIJING: China said on Friday it was confident of sealing a key bilateral trade deal on WTO entry with the European Union during a new round of talks in Beijing at the end of the month.

Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation Shi Guangsheng confirmed that EU Trade Commissioner Pascal Lamy would arrive here on March 27. "After the two session of talks we had in Brussels and Beijing I think we have to say that important progress has been made," Shi told a press conference to sign a bilateral trade deal on World Trade Organisation entry with Thailand.

"Now the differences are narrowing through negotiations and I am full of confidence that when Lamy comes to Beijing we can find a way that both sides can accept," said Shi.

"It wont be long before China's entry into the World Trade Organisation". The last round of Sino-EU trade talks broke up earlier this month with China refusing to bow to EU demands that it allow European telecom companies to take more than 50 percent stakes in joint ventures.

A European Commission spokesman announced Lamy's visit on Thursday. Lamy "intends to go to China to address the political issues outstanding in negotiations with China on accession to the WTO," said the spokesman.ÑAFP