American officials expressed a sudden pessimism Friday that they could reach a long-sought deal to get China into the World Trade Organization.
In a curt statement issued Friday morning, Charlene Barshefsky, the chief negotiator for the United States, said: “We came hoping to make progress. We are discouraged that progress has not been made at this point. The clock has nearly run out.”
The turn came the morning after Chinese officials asked President Clinton’s negotiators to remain in Beijing at least one more day to continue discussions on how far China must open its markets to qualify for WTO membership.
Only hours before they issued the statement, American officials had sounded upbeat about the previous two days of talks, which they described as far more detailed and substantive than any conducted with the Chinese in many months.
It was not immediately clear whether Barshefsky issued the severe statement as a last-minute pressure tactic or whether the talks were collapsing.
During the talks this week, after detailed discussions of specific trade issues in working groups, the United States presented China with an overall package of proposals.
Earlier Friday, American officials expressed frustration with delays in the Chinese response, which may have led to the dramatic public statement.
The Chinese have all along been reluctant to lower tariffs and open industries to foreign ownership as fast as the United States and other Western countries demand, especially fearing the short-term unemployment and dislocations that outside competition could bring.
