EU Officials Downplay Talk of China Link Between Trade and Aid

BRUSSELS (MNI) – European Commission officials Thursday tried to
downplay reports that China was seeking to link possible financial
support for troubled Eurozone countries with trade negotiations.

A spokesman for European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso
told journalists that Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, in a recent
conversation with Barroso, did not seek to link potential financial
support for Europe to China’s WTO status.

Premier Wen said at a World Economic Forum meeting on Wednesday
that early recognition of China as a “market economy” under WTO rules
would be a good friendly gesture on the EU’s part, according to media
reports.

China is due to gain “market economy” status in 2016, but gaining
it earlier could help its position in trade disputes.

–Brussels newsroom, +324-9522-8374; pkoh@marketnews.com

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