Negative list talks can smooth BIT road

Negotiations between China and the United States on the proposed Bilateral Investment Treaty are at a crucial juncture, as the two sides deliberate on the negative lists, a former US government official said.

The most difficult task for the two sides is to finalize and reach a consensus on the size of the negative list, Henry Paulson, the former US Treasury secretary, said during a news conference in Beijing on Monday.

"It was a very big and positive change when China agreed to publish the negative list. So now the key will be to make this list as small as possible," he said.