Chairman of China's State Planning Commission Chen Jinhua reaffirmed China's basic positions on its accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Davos on January 31, 1997.

At a session on the issue of China Economy in the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum, Chen said that China is actively seeking its membership in the WTO.

The three basic positions that Chen outlined are:

-- The WTO would be incomplete without the participation of China; --China is a developing not a developed country. Therefore, it is unreasonable to request too much entrance fee from China; --It is necessary for China to have a transition period while it gradually meets the relevant requirements of the WTO.

"The Chinese government will take a realistic and flexible attitude to promote the process of its accession," Chen said, adding that China's accession to the WTO will "not only benefit the growth of China's economy but also the development of the world economy."

"We greatly appreciate the support to China's accession to the WTO from various economies," Chen said. "We also welcome the flexibility shown by the United States and other developed countries toward this issue."

"We hope that this problem will be solved as soon as possible and we will be ready to cooperate effectively with the WTO members to promote the prosperity of global economy and trade," Chen said.