Caixin
May 07, 2012 05:10 PM

China to Submit Fourth GPA Offer

(Beijing) – China has committed to delivering a fourth offer regarding government procurement to a World Trade Organization committee by the end of the year.

The commitment was made during the fourth round of regular trade and diplomatic talks between China and the United States known as the Strategic and Economic Dialogue (S&ED).

China's offer is part of efforts to join the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA), a legally binding WTO deal. The GPA is a treaty administered by a committee that includes WTO members who are parties to the treaty and have rights and obligations under it.

In a joint statement issued after the dialogue, the United States said it would ask other GPA parties to provide requests for improvements to China's third offer, which was submitted in November 2011. After that, China is to submit a fourth offer to the WTO committee before its final meeting this year.

A top concern of negotiators is whether China will include local government entities and state-owned enterprises in its offer. In its third offer, China included 171 more entities under five the governments of Beijing, Shanghai and Tianjin municipalities and Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces.

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