t remains very difficult to conclude the Doha Round of global trade talks in 2010, Chinese Commerce Minister Chen Deming said here Tuesday at a ministerial conference of the World Trade
Organization (WTO).
"The new deadline of 2010 is a political commitment made by world leaders at the two G20 summits this year. It is supported by all 153 members of the WTO, including China. But it can only be realized through substantive negotiations," Chen said in an interview with Xinhua on the sidelines of the conference.
Chen said China is open to the endgame negotiations at an appropriate time, but each WTO member has to look forward and show more flexibility.
"It remains very difficult to complete the Doha Round in 2010," he warned.
Launched in 2001, the Doha Round of world trade talks has been deadlocked in the past eight years due to differences between developed and
developing countries over access to agricultural and non-agricultural markets. A series of deadlines had been missed, which cast doubt on the latest one.
Chen said WTO members are mulling a plan to relaunch negotiations at a time next year, but there are two preconditions.
"New texts on agricultural and non-agricultural trade have to be available, which should be based on what has been agreed by the end of 2008.
And the endgame negotiations have to be proceeded with talks among major members," he said.
Chen said there has been no timetable for the negotiations, but a preliminary plan is to finish the preparation of new texts by the spring of next year and to convene a mini-ministerial meeting among major members.
WTO members started to bargain on the new texts in September, but Indian Commerce Minister Anand Sharma said on Monday that negotiations over the past three months had been confined to peripheral issues.
Due to lack of progress, the WTO ministerial conference which kicked off on Monday was defined as a "talking," not a "negotiating" session on the Doha Round, but serious division between developing and developed countries were exposed in ministers' speeches.
U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk on Monday urged emerging economies to make more concession in opening their markets for industrial goods, but Sharma said rich countries should temper their demands.
Chen said the Doha Round should fulfill its original goal of helping the development in poor countries.
"The Doha Round is a development round. It should look at how to help developing countries under the new global trade rules," he said.
Chen insisted future negotiations should be based on what had been agreed and any bilateral contact should be no substitute to multilateral
negotiations.
"Although about 80 percent has been agreed, the remaining will be the most difficult part," he said.