Ministers insist on Doha Round renewal, welcome global China
11 Sep '06
3 min read
“We are standing at the proverbial crossroads,” Lehmann observed. The opening up of China “is redefining the global trade paradigm,” he added. “China is the huge new kid on the block but the block is in the process of disintegration.” He called for the abolition of all discriminatory trade practices and conditions placed on developing economies.
The Doha Round is unlikely to be concluded by 2008, Wu Jianmin, President, China Foreign Affairs University, People's Republic of China, concluded. Warning of rising protectionism, the former Chinese ambassador to France said that the Doha Round's collapse was the result of the disconnect between reform-reluctant developed countries and reform-eager developing economies.
“When you mention reform to the average Chinese, they welcome it. But in Europe, reform is a dirty word. The deeper reason for the Doha Round collapse lies there.”
In response, Asia must move to strengthen regional cooperation, Wu argued. He also said that China's spectacular growth should not be seen as a singular phenomenon but as part of a wave of growth spreading across emerging economies. “We are sharing our growth with the rest of the world,” Wu explained.
“Our policy of reform to the outside world is a long-term policy. Opening up means that we embrace globalization; we change ourselves to adapt to globalization.”
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