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UPDATED: 21:01, October 08, 2004
Doha Agenda should not only reflect but also realize development, says China



The Doha Development Agenda initiated in 2001 for a new round of multilateral trade talks should not only reflect development but also realize development, a senior Chinese official said Friday in Geneva.

It is important that Doha round has accorded a central place to development, thus providing the developing countries with a new opportunity to participate in the multilateral trade system and integrate into the world economy, said Sha Zukang, head of a Chinese delegation, at a world conference.

He told a high-level meeting of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) held here that the Doha Development Agenda should contribute to international cooperation and the sharing of gains from globalization.

"The Chinese government believes that the theme or the primary task of today's world is peace, development and cooperation," Sha, who is also the Chinese embassador to the UN offices here in Geneva, said.

But developing countries in the world are finding themselves in a vulnerable situation in the ongoing globalization process, he said.

Therefore, he said, issues of special interest to developing countries, such as differential treatment, dependence on the export of primary products, net food import, food security and rural development, will have to be given attention and addressed at the next stage of negotiation.

At the same time, developed members should adopt substantive measures in areas involving the interests of developing countries and take practical steps against trade protectionism, he added.

People's Daily Online -- Doha Agenda should not only reflect but also realize development, says China