US President Bill Clinton signed into law on Tuesday a historic bill granting permanent normal trade relations to China and dispatched his top trade negotiator for urgent talks with Chinese officials in hopes of settling disputes that could hurt China's entry to WTO.

Approved by the US Congress over opposition from labour and human rights groups,the legislation ends a 20-year annual ritual of reviewing China's trade status and guarantees Chinese goods the same low-tariff access to the US market as products from nearly every other nation.

In exchange for the benefits,China agreed to open a wide range of markets,from agriculture to telecommunications,under the terms of a landmark agreement that the White House hoped would usher Beijing into the Geneva-based WTO later this year.

Clinton made China's accession to the organisation,which sets global trading rules,one of his last foreign policy objectives,arguing that opening the vast Chinese marketplace would benefit both the US economy and national security.

"Trade with China will not only extend our unprecedented economic growth,it offers us a chance to help to shape the future of the world's most populous nation and to reaffirm our own global leadership,"Clinton said at a ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House.

But US and European trade officials said China's bid to enter the WTO before year's end was in peril after talks in Geneva stalled over how Beijing would implement WTO rules on intellectual property and meet other obligations.

Diplomats said the stalemate could delay China's entry until well into 2001,after Clinton's term ends.

Tuesday's signing was a major victory for US companies like Microsoft Corp.and Boeing Co.as well as U.S.farmers'groups,which hoped the deal would result in billions of dollars in new sales in the Chinese marketplace,potentially the world's largest,with 1.3billon consumers.

Enactment of the trade bill does not mean Beijing can enter the WTO.China must still complete WTO accession negotiations,which diplomats say have made little progress."Our work's not over,"Clinton said.

In hope of breaking the deadlock,White House officials said the president's top negotiator,Trade Representative Charlene Barshefsky,would meet on Thursday in Beijing with Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji.But Barshefsky conceded last week that China might not be able to join the WTO this year.

TURNING POINT IN RELATIONSGranting permanent normal trade relations to China marks a turning point in relations between the world's richest nation and its most populous.Comparisons have been drawn with President Richard Nixon's milestone 1972visit to China and the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1979.

Under the pact,Beijing promised to give U.S.businesses unprecedented access to its markets.Tariffs on computers and other information-technology products,for example,will be eliminated by 2005.Tariffs on agriculture equipment,currently at 11.54percent,will be reduced to 5.7percent by 2002,while quotas on cars will be phased out by 2005.

Besides boosting business,China's accession to the WTO will benefit national security,the White House argues.

Labour unions said the pact could cost hundreds of thousands of American jobs as Chinese goods flood the U.S.market and companies move factories to China to take advantage of lower wages.

The China bill was Clinton's biggest trade policy victory since the passage in 1993of the North American Free Trade Agreement,which tore down trade barriers separating the United States,Mexico and Canada.

"In case you've all forgotten,this thing was hard to pass.This was a lot of trouble,"Clinton said of the China bill,which passed overwhelmingly in the Senate in September after a bitter fight in the House of Representatives.

In addition to granting permanent trade benefits to Beijing,the trade bill signed by Clinton sets up a special commission to monitor human rights in China.Based on its findings,the panel could recommend sanctions,such as a halt to US Export-Import Bank support for China.

克林顿总统签署对华永久正常贸易关系议案美国总统克林顿于美国东部时间10日下午在白宫南草坪签署了对华永久正常贸易关系议案，从而使这项由美国参众两院通过的议案正式成为美国法律。

根据克林顿签署的这项议案，在中国加入世界贸易组织后，美国将终止按《１９７４年贸易法》中有关条款对中国“最惠国待遇”实行年度审议的作法，与中国建立永久正常贸易关系。实现美对华永久正常贸易关系符合世贸组织的规定，符合中美两国人民的根本利益，有利于推动中美经贸合作和中美关系继续向前发展。美国国务卿奥尔布赖特主持了签字仪式。今年５月２４日，美国众议院经过激烈辩论，以２３７票对１９７票的表决结果，批准了对华永久正常贸易关系议案；９月１９日，参议院也以８３票对１５票的压倒多数通过了这项议案。