ANKARA, Turkey -- President Clinton said Monday a market-opening deal between the United States and China could be a boon for American businesses, and he hoped it would lead soon to China joining the World Trade Organization.
"In opening the economy of China, the agreement will create unprecedented opportunities for American farmers, workers and companies to compete successfully in China's market, while bringing increased prosperity to the people of China," he said.Clinton heard during a visit to Turkey that his trade negotiators, at last-ditch talks in Beijing, had finally reached an elusive deal paving the way for China's entry into the WTO, which sets world trade rules.
Clinton, who had almost reached a deal with China last April only to see it stalled by NATO's bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade on May 7, called the accord "a profoundly important step in the relationship between the United States and China."
"The China WTO agreement is good for the United States, it's good for China, it's good for the world economy. Today China embraces principles of economic openness, innovation and competition that will bolster China's economic reforms and advance the rule of law," he told U.S. embassy staff in Ankara.
Clinton said that on the basis of the agreement, he would work hard to gain China's entry into the WTO and undertake an "all-out" attempt to persuade Congress to approve permanent normal trade relations with Beijing.
"I think that all of us benefit when the most populous nation in the world is now going to be part of a rule-based system that will bring shared prosperity," he told a news conference.
Congressional Democrats want a commitment from Beijing to improve human rights, labor and environmental standards.
Many Republicans want Clinton to address concerns about alleged Chinese espionage at U.S. nuclear labs and are pressing the White House to increase security for Taiwan, which Beijing considers a renegade province.
Some lawmakers also are angry over Beijing's crackdown on the outlawed Falun Gong spiritual movement and worry that the pact will cost American jobs and exacerbate an already record-setting trade deficit.
At the news conference with Turkish President Suleyman Demirel, Clinton said the deal was similar to the one the two sides almost had back in April.
"We finished a lot of the matters that were left unresolved when we were meeting in the springtime in Washington. I don't think it's fair to the Chinese or to the United States to give the inference that either one made massive new concessions," he said.