刚才，我为什么迟到呢？就是在参加WTO这个问题上又遇到麻烦了。因此，我们确实是做了极大的让步。但这个话我只能在这里说，如果我跑到中国去说，那可能我又要下台了。那么我为什么认为应该做这种让步呢？就是因为我们改革开放的政策实行到今天，我们对于参加WTO以后受到的冲击这个承受能力已经加强了。如果在几年以前，你如果来……我那个时候就讲了，保险市场应该开放，银行应该开放，股票市场也可以适当地的开放，在那个……说这个话的时候，人家骂我是卖国贼啊。但现在在这一方面，我们中央银行以及有关的机构的监管能力都大大地加强了，中国的承受能力提高了，中国人民的认识也逐步提高了。所以我们现在提出这个开放的问题时候呢，人们还能够接受了。而且我们认为这种开放引入竞争的机制对于促进我们中国的企业的发展也是有好处的。

但是朋友们，这个开放也不能太快了。我们只能够step by step，如果一下子要我们开放，就很可能出现东南亚国家去年的金融危机那种情况。现在的问题就是我们已经作了很大的让步，但是美国方面呢还要我们做更大的让步。我倒不是担心要下台，我担心你即使我签了这个协议，恐怕我们中国人民也不答应。我们是一个发展中国家，我们现在作为一个发展中国家做的让步已经是足够了。让我们完全达到WTO的标准，你要给我们一个timetable，给我们一个过渡期嘛。

我们现在谈判的结果，在农业方面，由于我们对于小麦进口的TCK的问题和柑橘进口的检疫的问题，肉类的检疫的问题，我们已经完全地达成协议了。这是由于我们做出了最大的让步，解除了各个州的限制。因此，在这个问题上面，我们是可以签署协定的。在市场准入方面，我认为也应该达成协议了。但是呢美国方面还在要求更多。比方说投资的比例要增加，比方说关税还要进一步地降低。我们说都可以，过几年以后再说嘛。你要得过多，要得过快，最后可能你什么也要不到了。

还有在Protocol议定书这个方面我们还有若干个问题，我想主要是由于美国方面对我们还不够信任，也就是说在我们加入了WTO方面还要跟我们写上一个歧视性的条款。其实中国既然签了协定，准备作这种让步，这当然是准备执行这个协议，那何必再写上这个歧视性的条款呢？所以，我想这个……这个协定到现在为止还没有取得最后的协议……还没有取得最后的一致意见。

我本来不应该单方面地在这里来讲这些问题，但是昨天美国方面把所有的文件，也就是说把他们的意见、他们的要求全部都公布了，而且说我们已经同意了。我们没有同意。

当然我们并不是说非要在这个时候，在这个地方来签订这个协议。我们也体谅美国政府方面的困难，因为他们担心国会不会同意他们来签订这个协议。但是今天早上我跟13个参议员和众议员共进早餐，我让每一个人都讲了他的意见。我的印象就是农业方面的协定，这些参议员都是表示赞成的。至于我讲的其他方面呢的问题他们根本不清楚。那从我的判断，如果把我们和美国方面能够达成的意见公布的话，是会得到国会议员们的支持的。

因此，我希望在座的为中美友好合作而奋斗多年的朋友们，我们共同努力来使这个协议最后能够达成。

(1998年4月9日，中华人民共和国国务院总理朱鎔基访美期间在美国七个团体欢迎晚宴上的演讲，节选，根据录音材料整理)

参考译文：

The reason why I arrived late this evening was because new complication has come up on the issue of WTO. To this end we have truly made very, very major concessions. Of course it’s something I can only say here. If I were to go back to China and say the same thing, I’m afraid I would be kicked out of office again. But why were we willing to make such concessions? It’s because after so many years of our policy of reform and opening up, we have got to the point where at least we have the capacity to withstand the shock that entry into the WTO will bring to us. Several years ago, I said that the insurance market, the banking market, and to some extent, the security market could be open to foreign participation. When I said that, I was accused by some people of being a traitor to my country. But today the capacity of our Central Bank and our supervisory agency to work, to supervise and to regulate has been greatly strengthened. And the understanding of our people about these issues has been greatly improved. And so now they are able to accept the discussion of these possibilities. And we also feel that this kind of opening up will help bring in more competition. And this in turn will stimulate the further development of our own Chinese enterprises.

But friends, this kind of opening up cannot happen too quickly. We have to go about it step by step, because otherwise we may very well wind up with the kind of turbulence that we saw in the Southeast Asian countries over the last couple of years. The problem now is that despite our having made such major concessions, the United States still presses us to make further concessions. And I say it’s not because I’m afraid of losing my job. It’s because even if I were to sign those papers, the people of China would be unwilling to accept it. We are a developing country, and we have done all that a developing country is capable of doing. But if you were to want more from us for WTO, you would have to give us a timetable and give us time in which to do it.

As for the result of our negotiations, in the area of agriculture, we have already negotiated successful agreements on the TCK issue for importation of wheat and on the agricultural quarantine for citrus importation and meat importation. This is because we made the greatest concessions as possible in order to lift the restrictions from the various states affected. So on this matter, we can sign an agreement. I feel that we should also be able to reach an agreement on market access. But the American side wants still more. For instance, they want us to permit a greater investment ratio and for us to lower our customs tariff. And I said these are all possible, but in a few years’ time. If you want too much too soon, in the end you may end up with nothing.

In terms of Protocol, we still have a number of problems. I think this is mainly because the United States still does not trust us fully. Even if China were to join the WTO, they would still want us to sign a special agreement with discriminatory practices. Actually China has already expressed a willingness to sign an agreement, so why would you need to add this extra clause of discriminatory practices? So that is why so far today we have not been able to achieve a final agreement yet.

I originally was not intending to speak about these matters today. But yesterday the American side made public all the relevant documents and papers and said the Chinese had agreed to all these. But we had not agreed to all these.

But of course we are not insisting that the agreement must be signed here and must be signed now. We also understand the concerns of the U.S. Administration, because they are worried that perhaps Congress might not approve of whatever agreement that might be reached. But this morning I had breakfast with 13 senators and congressmen and I listened to the opinions of each and every one of them. My impression was that all of them approved of the agricultural agreement. As for the other outstanding problems that I just described, they seemed to know nothing very

much about them. So as I see it, if we were to make public the agreements that we have reached with the American side, Congress will support it.

That’s why I hope that all of us here this evening, who have struggled so hard to promote friendship and closer ties between China and the United States, will join together to make this agreement come to pass.

(Excerpted from the remarks by Zhu Rongji, Premier of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China at the Welcoming Dinner Banquet sponsored by the seven organizations during his visit to the United States on April 9, 1998, as transcribed)