Clinton Calls for Swift WTO Entry for China

HONG KONG — Former President Clinton on Thursday urged China’s quick entry into the World Trade Organization and said the United States should work as a partner with the Asian nation so that “the world will be a better place.”

In a speech here to the Fortune Global Forum, a gathering of about 700 international business executives, Clinton said his efforts as president to build a strong Sino-American relationship were part of a larger drive to involve the United States in Asia’s future.

He spoke of the growing interdependence of nations as “the central reality of our time” and predicted that the trend will outweigh national differences.

He also called the U.S. relationship with China the key to this interdependence and said Beijing’s immediate entry into the WTO is important to assure continued global prosperity.

China is the largest nation still outside the Geneva-based global trade body, and negotiating the terms of its entry was a major goal of Clinton’s final months in office. Though the process is largely complete, some differences remain, including the politically touchy issue of agricultural subsidies.

Chinese officials have predicted that entry into the WTO will take place by the end of the year.

In both tone and content, Clinton’s remarks stood as a jarring contrast to the Bush administration’s initial months of dealing with China. During his speech, for which he was reportedly paid about $100,000, the former president took a swipe at his successor’s approach.

“The important thing . . . is not to assume the relationship is inherently adversarial but instead to take what we know is true: that the world will be a better place over the next 50 years if we take what we share and work as partners, if we work together.”

Shortly after President Bush assumed office in January, his foreign policy team altered the U.S. approach to China, describing the regime as a “strategic competitor,” as opposed to Clinton’s characterization of it as a “strategic partner.”

While in Hong Kong, Clinton met for more than an hour Wednesday with Chinese President Jiang Zemin.

He also met briefly Thursday with Martin Lee, leader of Hong Kong’s Democratic Party, to discuss U.S.-China relations and the state of democracy in the territory.