While many claims will be made about the benefits of such an arrangement to this country's economy and businesses, the ultimate success of the effort to sell the American legislature on China's accession to the WTO will probably turn on a different contention.

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: Center For Security Policy

China promises to join WTO accession protocols that would bring its rules in this area in line with global norms, but has been dragging its feet for years.

ECONOMIST: State-owned enterprises

As part of its WTO accession agreement in 2001, China agreed to allow the United States and other WTO members to treat it differently indeed, discriminatorily on several matters for a number of years after it joined the WTO.

FORBES: The U.S. Loses Despite Victory In Chinese Tire Dispute

In its WTO accession agreement, China also committed to simplify and streamline the approval process for wireless communications equipment into a single process but has not yet done so.

FORBES: Lessons From Japan's Trade Policies

Since then, and especially since the surge that followed its accession to the WTO in 2001, China's economic clout has grown as fast or faster in its own region as anywhere.

ECONOMIST: Banyan

Lastly, Washington, having strengthened the hand of China's conservatives, may have to soften its demands in areas such as WTO accession if it does not want to see the more open-minded, pro-reform elements in Beijing further undermined.

CNN: EMBASSY FIASCO