Home > Last Word > Story

Developing nations join hands to oppose new issues at WTO

Agencies - New Delhi

After forming a formidable coalition to fight EU-US proposal on agriculture, India, China and 14 other developing countries have joined hands at the WTO to fight the attempts of industrialised nations to oppose the move to bring in new issues like investment and competition policy into the trade negotiations.

The group, led by Malaysia, was originally of ten countries and now it has been expanded to 16 developing countries which have sought from WTO general council a host of clarifications on new issues called Singapore issues, which India, China and 76 other developing countries are opposing to be brought into the WTO work programme. The four Singapore issues comprise trade and investment, competition policy, transparency in government procurement and trade facilitation.

Apart from Malaysia, India and China, the other countries are Bangladesh, Botswana, Cuba, Egypt, Indonesia, Kenya, Nigeria, Philippines, Tanzania, Uganda, Venezuela, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Earlier, India, China and Brazil alongwith 17 other developing countries had formed a coalition to give a counter proposal to pro-developed EU-US framework on agriculture following which the revised draft text for Cancun ministerial beginning next week accommodated some of the developing countries’ concerns on farm negotiations.

The clarification has been sought from the general council of WTO, and India’s representative has submitted a seven-page note on behalf of these 16 countries. The note says, "There was lack of clarity on how Singapore issues would be dealt with in the draft ministerial text due to which members, who favour continuation of the clarificatory process, could not put forward their views on the issues." The clarification sought included the coverage of investment, definition of cartels in competition policy and their reference to the dispute settlement body of WTO. The group has also favoured further study on the implication of these issues particularly on developing countries before being brought into the work programme of WTO.

At the last WTO ministerial at Doha, it was agreed as part of the ministerial text that Singapore issues could be taken up for negotiations as part of Doha development round only if modalities were worked out at Cancun ministerial with explicit consensus. India has already made it clear that it was determined to oppose the four new issues being brought onto the negotiating table even if it had to stand alone.