"This year's JCCT is a step forward in strengthening market access for US goods in China, particularly in the area of computer software as well as improving the enforcement of intellectual property rights," Gutierrez said in a press release after the negotiation.

The Chinese officials described the negotiation as "in-depth" and "frank" and said the plenary session produced many agreements and achieved important progress.

During the talks on IPR protection, the Chinese negotiators briefed their US counterparts on the efforts China had made and will continue to make on the fight against product piracy since the 15th session of the JCCT.

The Chinese officials also asked their US counterparts to pay attention to the protection of the intellectual property of the Chinese herbal medicine, traditional culture and genetic resources.

In addition to IPR protection, the two sides also agreed to establish a dialogue mechanism for security monitoring agencies and a joint working team under the framework of the JCCT on tourism cooperation.

No breakthrough was made on the highly debated textile disputes. But the US agreed to use the special restrictive measures on textile products with caution.

Meanwhile, the two sides agreed to conduct substantial consultation on the textile issues as soon as possible with a positive and responsible attitude, sources with the Chinese delegation said.

On agricultural products, the two sides seemed to have reached much more consensus.

US Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns, who joined the day-long negotiation, said in a press release that progress was made with China on several key market access fronts. 

"Last year, US farmers and ranchers sold over US$6 billion in agriculture products to China, making it our fifth largest export market," said Johanns. "These agreements with the Chinese today will help to further expand our trade opportunities with one of American agriculture's top trading partners to build on our current trade success."

Johanns said China has pledged to send a technical team to the US in October and will be working with the US agriculture officials in the interim to provide more information on the time line and process for reopening their market to US beef.

He also announced the approval by China of NK 603, a variety of Round Ready corn, bringing the total Chinese biotech approvals to eight varieties of corn, two of cotton, seven of canola and one variety of soybeans.

Progress was also made on the issues including China's market economy status, distribution services and the promotion of trade investment.

Other topics discussed at the session covered government procurement, loosening export limits and tariffs on automobile spare parts, sources with the Commerce Ministry said.

Trade between the two countries has surged rapidly over the past years. In 2004, two-way trade hit US$169.6 billion, about 69 times the figure in early 1979 when China and the US established full diplomatic relations.

"Sino-US trade relations are mutually beneficial and complementary, which is reflected in many aspects and cannot be measured with simple trade statistics," Vice Premier Wu Yi said at the end of the session.

She said developing equal and mutually beneficial trade relations is of significant importance to the stability of Sino-US relations in the new century.

"The two governments should continue to exert efforts to improve Sino-US economic and trade cooperation to boost the steady development of Sino-US economic and trade ties," she said.

In response, Gutierrez said the JCCT has a positive influence on the development of Sino-US economic and trade ties and the US wants to improve trade relations with China.

Established in 1983, the JCCT is a government-to-government consultative mechanism that provides a forum to resolve trade concerns and pursue bilateral commercial opportunities.

The status of the JCCT was elevated following the December 2003 meeting between Premier Wen Jiabao and US President George W. Bush to focus higher-level attention on outstanding trade disputes.

Wu said the JCCT is an important mechanism to promote Sino-US trade ties and to maintain its stable development.

The vice premier said China and the US have solved many disputes and set up an effective cooperation mode over the past years on the basis of equality and mutual benefits and the principle of shelving differences and seeking consensus.

She said she hoped China and the US will more actively carry out cooperation and exchanges under the framework of the JCCT and seriously implement the consensus reached at the session.

The US is now China's second largest trading partner after the EU while China is the third largest of the US.

Minister of Commerce Bo Xilai also participated in the one-day session.

(Xinhua News Agency July 12, 2005)