BEIJING (AP) - President Jiang Zemin, meeting with U.S. Commerce Secretary William Daley, called on Congress on Thursday to give China permanent low-tariff access to U.S. markets.
Daley is lobbying skeptical U.S. lawmakers to approve the trade deal with China - a key part of plans for China to join the World Trade Organization. Labor unions and some lawmakers oppose ending annual reviews of Chinese trade status, which have been used to press for improvements in human rights.
The U.S. House is to take up the issue the week of May 22-26.
Mutual low-tariff trade access is "one of the essential principles of the World Trade Organization," the official Xinhua News Agency quoted Jiang as telling Daley.
Jiang told Daley at the Zhongnanhai leadership compound in Beijing that Congress should "properly handle" the issue, according to Xinhua.
Daley is in Beijing for two days of talks on the details of China's WTO membership, which would require it to lower barriers to imports. Beijing has said it would withhold liberalized access to American imports if it doesn't receive permanent low-tariff status from the United States.
Daley met earlier Thursday with Premier Zhu Rongji, China's top economic official, and remarked that he was looking forward to "a most interesting couple of months" fighting for approval of the trade deal.
The U.S. commerce secretary is to take part in meetings of the U.S.-China Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade on details of carrying out China's commitment to open its state-run economy to foreign competitors.
Daley is to lead a visit of undecided U.S. lawmakers to China later in April. He said Wednesday that he hoped that trip and his meetings this week would help win support for the trade deal.:
