India, Brazil, South Africa and China seek improvements to WTO negotiating package
29 Jan 2011
Trade ministers representing India, Brazil, South Africa and China at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, have proposed improvements to the Doha Round negotiating package by incorporating the development dimension to the world trade talks.
India's minister of commerce and industry Anand Sharma met his counterparts Antonio Patriota of Brazil, Chen Deming of China and Rob Davies of South Africa to exchange views on the current efforts to conclude the Doha Round of world trade negotiations.
While the July 2008 negotiating package embodied a careful balance of concessions strenuously negotiated since the launching of the Round in 2001, the ministers said there was a need to improve the negotiating package by incorporating the development dimension of world trade.
They recalled the political message issued by their leaders during the G-20 Seoul Summit and reiterated their commitment to the negotiations.
Under the existing draft modalities, developing countries would be required to offer a level of contribution without precedent by any member in any of the previous negotiating rounds.
However, developed countries do not want to reciprocate such contributions. Instead, some of them continue to seek further exceptions and flexibilities to continue with their existing trade barriers and trade distorting policies, adversely affecting the developing countries' interests.
