No Progress at EU/China Trade Talks

Four days of negotiations failed to achieve results in talks between European Union (EU) negotiators and their Chinese counterparts in Beijing. The talks were aimed at resolving differences concerning China’s admission to the World Trade Organization.

According to a Reuters report, the talks deadlocked over the reduction of customs duties and the opening up of China’s telecommunications market to EU firms, and never reached the issue of new licenses for European insurers; however, a BBC report confirmed that the opening of China’s insurance market remained a divisive issue.