BackWTO chief in China, seeks breakthrough in Doha trade talks
WTO chief in China, seeks breakthrough in Doha trade talks
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PTI
Beijing: With the Doha Round entering a “crunch" phase amid hectic efforts by the US, EU, India and Brazil to revive trade talks, the Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Pascal Lamy is here to hold high-level consultations with China, especially on agriculture.
Lamy has said that he would tell Chinese officials that developing countries should also contribute to the trade talks so they can be concluded in the next six to nine months.
“Obviously, all countries are preparing for a possible compromise and I want to make sure that as we reach this crunch time, China can preserve its defences and offences in the negotiations," Lamy, who arrived here today, said.
Next week, representatives of the United States, the European Union, India and Brazil will meet in Germany to discuss possible compromise solutions to the Doha talks in what many see as the last chance for the round.
During his four days in Beijing, Lamy will meet senior officials from the ruling Communist Party of China, Chinese Agriculture Minister Sun Zhengcai, Finance Minister Jin Renqing, Governor of People’s Bank of China, Zhou Xiaochuan and Commissioner of Intellectual Property Rights Commission, Tian Lipu among others. He will also have bilateral talks with Chinese Commerce Minister Bo Xilai on 20June.
The Doha Round of trade talks was launched in 2001 with the goal of boosting the global economy and helping poor countries through fairer trade conditions. The talks have stalled mainly because of sharp differences over agriculture subsidies and tariffs.
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