The U.S. Senate voted on Tuesday to grant China permanent normal trade-relations status. That will provide an impetus to international negotiations on China's bid to join the World Trade Organization. Those talks are entering the homestretch with the start of the final round of negotiations in Geneva. It now seems certain that the WTO General Council will decide in favor of Chinese entry perhaps as early as October and that China will be formally admitted to the organization before the end of the year, following Beijing's ratification of the decision.
Still, things may not develop as anticipated. The European Union worries that China is not abiding by its bilateral agreements with EU member states. In China itself, drastic changes in domestic systems -- preconditions for its WTO entry -- and the resulting discord between central and local governments are reportedly fanning antiforeign sentiment.
No deadline has been set for entry negotiations, but countries involved need to speed up preparations by reaffirming their commitment to admitting China by the end of 2000. If China is criticized while being left out of the global free-trade system, its isolation from the international community will only grow.