Agence France Presse
TAIPEI, April 17 (AFP) - Taiwan expected to become a member of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) this year immediately after China, an official said Monday.
"If both China and Taiwan could hold their own working group meetings in May or June, both sides would be able to enter the WTO later this year," said Vice Economic Minister Lin Yi-fu, who is in charge of Taiwan's WTO talks.
He said Washington's intent to grant permanent normal trade relation status to China and Beijing's WTO negotiations with the European Union were key factors for the mainland's accession into the global trade regulatory body, and consequently Taiwan's admission.
"The two issues are decisive as to when Taiwan could enter the WTO," Lin told reporters after returning from a trip to the US and Europe to push for Taiwan's accession.
"There is a concensus internationally that both sides would join the WTO simultaneously," Lin said.
China, which claims sovereignty over Taiwan, has insisted Taipei not be admitted to the Geneva-based WTO before Beijing.
China's Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation Minister Shi Guangsheng said last week Beijing would soon resume talks with the EU on its accession to the WTO and was confident of reaching a deal.
He said the last round of talks in Beijing -- which ended without agreement on March 31 -- had made "significant progress."
"In the near future we will resume talks on these issues. I believe China will reach an agreement on the WTO with the EU and that will not hinder China's entry into the organisation."
The European Union is the largest of China's trading partners yet to conclude a bilateral agreement that would open the way for Beijing to accede to the WTO and its rules-based trading regime.
Taiwan has completed trade talks with 26 contracting parties and signed accession pacts with all except Hong Kong, which reverted to Chinese sovereignty in July 1997.
In 1990, Taiwan applied to join the WTO's predecessor the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade under the name of "the customs territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu."
Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu are islands controlled by Taiwan.:
