People's Daily Online -- China willing to push forward DDA negotiations with other WTO members: Minister
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UPDATED: 09:52, July 14, 2005
China willing to push forward DDA negotiations with other WTO members: Minister



With only four months left for the Sixth Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Hong Kong at the end of this year, the Doha Development Agenda (DDA) negotiations have entered a crucial phase, and China is willing to push forward the process together with other WTO members, said Chinese Minister of Commerce Bo Xilai Wednesday in Dalian.

He was here to attend the two-day WTO Informal Ministerial Meeting. Bo met separately with the United States Trade Representative Rob Portman, Brazil Foreign Affairs Minister Celso Amorim and the WTO Director General Supachai Panitchpakdi, and exchanged views with them on current DDA round talks.

In a meeting with Portman, Bo said that China has worked hard to boost the DDA and wishes to seek a converging point with the United States to push forward the negotiation process.

Having stated China's stand on the DDA negotiations, Bo stressed that China made a lot of commitments before joining the WTO, and has implemented these commitments by conquering various difficulties.

He said that China had cut its overall tariffs from 42 percent in 1992to present 9.9 percent. As a developing and new member of the WTO, China has made huge efforts in expanding its opening-up.

In the new round of DDA negotiations, Bo said, China's status as a developing and new member of WTO should be given full recognition.

Portman briefed Chinese commerce minister the stand of the United States in the DDA negotiations and expressed the wish of the United States to push forward the DDA process together with China.

In meeting with Brazil Foreign Affairs Minister Amorim, Bo said that agriculture is the major subject of the DDA negotiations, and that the G20 members should strengthen coordination on this issue.

He outlined China's stand on subjects including exemption of export subsidiaries and the expansion of agricultural products market access.

Amorim said that as a major developing country, China has played a very important role in the WTO, especially in the G20.

It is very meaningful to hold the WTO informal ministerial meeting in China, and Brazil is expecting to work together with China to push forward the meeting.

Bo also exchanged views with Supachai on the DDA and organization of current meeting.

Source: Xinhua