The European Union has made the finalisation of China's entry into the World Trade Organisation (WTO) a priority, the EU Commissioner for External Affairs, Mr Chris Patten, said in Beijing yesterday.

At the start of a three-day visit to China for political and economic talks, Mr Patten described delays in securing formal entry as frustrating, writes Miriam Donohoe in Beijing.

He told an EU Chamber of Commerce lunch that he did not know precisely what was holding up China's WTO accession after key bilateral deals were struck with the United States in November 1999 and with the EU a year ago.

However he said that, on the EU side, there were outstanding technical issues and disputes over life insurance and fertiliser quotas.