China will continue to work actively with all members of the World Trade Organization toward achieving a package of balanced outcomes of the Doha Round negotiations to promote world economic growth in an harmonious manner, China's top trade official said Wednesday.
"The success of Doha Round is crucial to all WTO members including China," said Bo Xilai, Chinese minister of commerce, at the 19th Ministerial Meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC).
The WTO talks have come to a standstill because of differences among the U.S., EU, Brazil and India on eliminating trade barriers to agricultural produce and manufactured goods.
WTO negotiations will resume in Geneva this week to discuss draft texts aimed at ending the deadlock between developed and developing nations.
"The Chinese side supports the draft texts presented by the chairmen of both agricultural and non-agricultural negotiations of the WTO as the basis for consultation," the Chinese minister said.
He noted that the key to break the current deadlock is to first focus on issues that developing countries are most concerned about, and substantial market entry opportunities should be created for developing countries in the non-agricultural sector.
Since all WTO members support fair trade, breakthrough should be made in resolving the issue of distorted trade, he said, noting that developed members that have most farm subsidies are obliged to take a step in advance to cut the subsidies.
On the issue of food security, Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said at the meeting that the issue is a global one that calls for collective efforts to resolve.
"All APEC members should strengthen supervision and improve the quality of products internally, while enhancing communication externally and solving problems through consultation," he said.
Under the initiative of China, Australia and other APEC members, APEC members have actively carried out cooperation on food security over the past years and set up a platform to discuss food security and enhance capacity building, contributing positively to facilitating food trade and people's health, he said.
"The Chinese side is ready to continue to enhance exchanges and cooperation with other APEC members to improve food security in the Asia-Pacific region," he said.
The foreign minister pledged that China will also actively cooperate with APEC members in other sectors such anti-terrorism and contagious disease control.
On the issue of APEC reform, Yang said that China supports the gradual reform of APEC to improve its efficiency of operation and enhance cooperation.
"The reform is a long process that calls for accumulating experience and consensus," the minister said.
(Xinhua News Agency September 6, 2007)
