India To Work Out Common Strategy With China

The Centre today said India and China should forge a common strategy on multilateral trade issues. "We have to work out a system with China and have to develop a cooperation mode in order to promote the cause of market access for developing countries," Nripendra Misra, special secretary in the commerce ministry said at a seminar on the Doha ministerial meet organised by the Indo-American Chamber of Commerce here. He added that some countries would try to pit India against China.

Misra said at the same time, with the formal entry of China, the world's most populous country, into the World Trade Organisation, scheduled for December 11, India would have to "do a little bit more" to ensure that its voice is heard.

 

He also said India would try to force an end to the advantage enjoyed by some countries due to their participation in various regional trade agreements. "We are not a player in RTAs, so we have to play in WTO so that RTAs remain transitory and merge with WTO," Misra said.

He also said India had received the support of a large number of developing countries due to the hard stance taken by it at the fourth ministerial meeting of WTO in Doha. Misra said India would adopt an issue-based strategy in striking alliances with various countries. "Trade negotiations are different from all other negotiations. Here, countries take a dynamic stand and therefore, its tradable," he said.

Misra also said India had analysed the prospects of the least developed countries and countries from the African, Caribbean and Pacific group withdrawing support while preparing its stand for the fourth ministerial meeting.

He said despite the developments in Doha, New Delhi would once again develop a situation where it would identify countries for the Like-Minded Group on various issues coming up for negotiations over the next three years.

He said there was a need for a national consensus on various issues and various stakeholders should put in their stands for the government to take them up during negotiations.