Doha: India, China want US commitment

India, China and Brazil are expected to press Washington to indicate the “payment” it is ready to make at the stalled Doha trade negotiations when representatives of the four countries meet in Paris next week, senior trade officials said.

The US has convened a meeting for senior trade officials from the newly-created Group of Five members comprising the US, China, India, Brazil, and the European Union. The two-day special meeting will start in Paris on April 27 and would focus on what direction to take in the comatose Doha negotiations. The five countries are also expected to discuss the Doha agenda, including market access for industrial goods and services.

Coming close on the heels of a recent joint letter written by the leaders of the US, Canada, Korea, Britain, and France to their G-20 counterparts, the Paris meeting will explore the “political impetus” given to trade officials.

“With regard to Doha, we need to determine whether we can achieve greater level of ambition necessary to make an agreement feasible,” the five leaders told other G-20 members. “To reach a successful outcome we must give political impetus to our negotiators, which should also be reflected in national positions.”

The new US deputy trade envoy and ambassador to the World Trade Organization, Michael Punke, is expected to lead the American delegation.