| Statement by H.E. Mr. Chen Deming, Minister of Commerce and Head of the Chinese Delegation at the TNC |
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| Tuesday,July 22,2008 Posted: 16:25 BJT(0825 GMT) |
| From:WTO Article type:Original |
Statement by H.E. Mr. Chen Deming, Minister of Commerce and Head of the Chinese Delegation at the TNC
July 21, 2008
Mr. Chairman,
First of all, I would like to thank all of you for your sympathies and support during earthquake in Sichuan, China.
As trade ministers of many WTO Members gather here in Geneva, global economy is facing a number of challenges, featured by the financial crisis, mounting inflation and rising food prices. If we can bring the Doha Round to a successful conclusion, it will play a pivotal role in lifting the global economy out of current difficulties, safeguarding a fair trading environment and promoting the economic development of WTO Members, especially the developing Members.
The revised texts by Chairmen of Agriculture and NAMA on July 10th have reflected, to varying degrees, part of the results of negotiations undertaken so far. Nonetheless, quite a few imbalances in these texts remain that require urgent solution if we are to achieve the development goal set forth for the Doha Round.
Agriculture is at the core of the Doha negotiations. Many Members, particularly developing Members, put agricultural issues at the top of their national economic development agenda. For China, making a rational policy choice on issues that have significant bearings on the livelihood of eight hundred million farmers is not only an issue of economic consequence, but an issue of political importance as well. In the texts as they stand now, the interests of developing members are yet to be fully addressed in areas such as the cut on OTDS, Sensitive Products, Special Products, TRQ administration, in-quota tariff rate reduction and SSM. Therefore, the texts need to be further improved. Given the soaring prices of global agricultural products, the key Members are now in a better position to, and should, make substantial cuts in their trade-distorting domestic support. The issues on SPs and SSM must be addressed to meet the needs of millions of poor subsistence farmers.
On NAMA, we noted that the NAMA text has incorporated some results of the recent negotiations. But a number of issues are still pending, such as the lower co-efficient for developed Members, anti-concentration, sectorals and preference erosion. All these would mean that we need to intensify efforts in the next few days to find proper solutions through negotiations.
As this is the development Round, the particular interests and concerns of the LDCs, SVEs, ACPs, African groups, RAMs as well as the issues of cotton must be effectively addressed.
Mr. Chairman, against the current backdrop of economic globalization, all of us are confined to an elevator moving up and down together rather than playing on a seesaw where one’s rise is at the cost of another’s fall. So, I hope that as we are approaching the defining moment of negotiations and in particular at this critical juncture when the world economy is witnessing multiple crises, we should work together with a concerted mind, collective wisdom and maximum courage so as to pave a solid ground for the successful conclusion of the negotiations, accomplish the Doha Development Agenda and realize mutual benefit and win-for-all.
Thank you.
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