President Clinton has warmly welcomed the agreement between the US and China over the latter's accession to the World Trade Organisation.
But there remains the task of convincing a Republican-led Congress, suspicious of China, to approve the deal.
The President received the news that agreement had been reached in Beijing while on a visit to Turkey.
He told a meeting of American business leaders in Ankara that the agreement was "a profoundly important step in the relationship between the United States and China".
"The China-WTO agreement is good for the United States, it's good for China, it's good for the world economy. Today, China embraces principles of economic openness, innovation and competition that will bolster China's economic reforms and advance the rule of law," Mr Clinton said.
The President has been under pressure from US business interests to reach a trade agreement with China since he turned down the deal available last April when the Chinese Prime Minister, Mr Zhu Rongji, was visiting Washington. Mr Clinton was apparently influenced then by the concerns of trade unions and environmental groups.
Since then the accidental bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade by US weapons further strained relations between Beijing and Washington.
On Capitol Hill, Republican members continued to criticise the Clinton administration over charges of Chinese espionage at US nuclear laboratories and illegal Chinese contributions to the President's re-election campaign in 1996.
The announcement of the deal, which will help correct the $60 billion trade deficit that the US runs with China, has been welcomed by US exporters of agricultural produce and high-technology goods. US banks and financial institutions are also enthusiastic at the opening up of the huge Chinese markets.
But for the agreement signed yesterday to get congressional approval, President Clinton will have to persuade the Republicans to support granting China so-called normal trade relations on a permanent basis. The President will also have to reassure Democrats that the opening up of trade will result in improved conditions for Chinese workers and be accompanied by stricter environmental controls.
A recent poll by Reuters shows that two-thirds of Americans oppose more free trade with China until it improves human and religious rights.
Last year, both Republicans and Democrats opposed giving President Clinton "fast-track" authority to negotiate new agreements in the forthcoming round of world trade negotiations in Seattle at the end of this month.
Fast-track authority means that the President can negotiate trade agreements which Congress can only approve or reject but not amend.
The agreement reached in Beijing has removed the main obstacle to China joining the WTO, but other countries, and especially the EU, will also have to reach agreement with China before it can be formally admitted.
This is unlikely to happen before the opening of the next trade round, but the negotiations will continue over several years, during which the agreements with China can be worked out.