EU not ready to grant China market status (Agencies) Updated: 2005-07-14 06:58
BRUSSELS, Belgium - The European Commission said Wednesday it was not ready
to grant market economy status to China — a move that would help Beijing avoid
punitive antidumping measures.
European Commission
President Jose Manuel Barroso addresses a joint news conference ahead of
an extraordinary European Union justice and interior ministers in Brussels
July 13, 2005 following last week's London attacks.
[Reuters] | Francoise Le Bail, chief spokeswoman for
the European Union's head office, said it was unclear when China would meet EU
criteria for being a market economy.
"The Commission is checking to see if China fits this criteria," she said.
"It's a very technical process ... It's difficult to give a deadline."
On Thursday, Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso was to visit China for
talks focusing on trade and political cooperation.
In a statement, Barroso noted that the EU last year replaced the United
States as China's largest trading partner, with annual trade totaling 174
billion euros ($212 billion). China is the EU's second-largest trade partner,
after the U.S.
"Our challenge now is to understand China's dramatic re-emergence, to learn
to work better with this tremendous country and seize the opportunities provided
by its unprecedented growth," Barroso said.
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