Trade talks suspension "setback to all' By Dai Yan (China Daily) Updated: 2006-07-26 06:29 China said yesterday that the indefinite
suspension of global free trade talks is a setback to all members of the World
Trade Organization (WTO).
The Doha Round of negotiations are critical to a balanced and orderly
development of the world economy, said Chong Quan, spokesman for the Ministry of
Commerce.
"We will work with other sides and try to resume negotiations as soon as
possible," said Chong.
He made the remarks after the trade talks, seen as a once-in-a-generation
chance to boost growth and ease poverty around the world, collapsed following
nearly five years of haggling because of wide gaps between key players.
Resumption of talks could take years.
WTO Director-General Pascal Lamy suspended the negotiations on Monday after
talks among six major members broke down. Ministers from Australia, Brazil, the
European Union, India, Japan and the United States had met in Geneva to try to
follow up on instructions from the St Petersburg Summit of the Group of Eight
industrial nations on July 17.
Lamy told heads of delegations in the informal meeting that he would
recommend a "time out" to the General Council tomorrow. He did not suggest how
long the talks would be suspended.
They can only resume when progress can be made, which in turn will require
changes in entrenched positions, he said. The suspension will apply to all
negotiating groups.
EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson later accused the United States of
"stonewalling" by refusing to offer deeper cuts in US trade-distorting domestic
farm subsidies, which total about US$20 billion annually.
Brazil, India and Japan joined in the criticism after the meeting failed to
resolve long-standing differences over how far to cut farm subsidies and
tariffs.
But Washington responded saying it hopes the EU's "blamesmanship" would not
jeopardize the "few chances we have left" for reviving the talks.
Li Zhongzhou, a WTO expert, said the ongoing Doha talks were largely blocked
by disagreements over agricultural market access, reduction of agricultural
subsidies, and industrial trade.
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