World Trade Organization (WTO)
Current Negotiations
Informal Meeting of Trade Ministers held in Dalian, China
International Trade Minister Jim Peterson and Minister of Agriculture
and Agri-Food Andy Mitchell joined ministers and representatives
from a broad range of WTO members in Dalian, China from July 12-13,
2005. This was the fourth informal meeting of WTO ministers held
in 2005 in an effort to inject momentum into the Doha Round Negotiations
in advance of the sixth WTO Ministerial Conference in Hong Kong,
China (December 13-18, 2005).
Following the G8 meetings that took place in Gleneagles, Scotland
(July 6-8), where leaders stressed the importance of completing
the Doha Development Agenda, the Dalian meeting more clearly defined
the critical issues at hand and made some limited progress in moving
towards convergence in some key areas.
“We are seeing some openness to new ideas and continued movement
away from entrenched positions, and we want to build on that convergence,”
said Minister Peterson.
Discussions on agriculture focussed on issues of market access
as ministers worked towards narrowing differences on key issues.
“While much work remains to be done on this front, it is clear
that all ministers remain committed to the process and we are heading
in the right direction,” said Minister Mitchell.
On non-agricultural market access, the meeting revealed the beginnings
of convergence around an ambitious tariff-cutting formula, which
would ensure that significant new trading opportunities would be
provided. This builds on the work of APEC (Asia Pacific Economic
Cooperation) Trade Ministers, who in June 2005 agreed that the Swiss
formula – a progressive formula that cuts higher tariffs by
more than lower ones – should be the basis for the WTO non-agricultural
market access negotiations.
On services, participating ministers agreed that the current bilateral
request-offer process of negotiations needs to be enhanced by additional
methodologies such as an increased focus on sectors of important
export interest to members.
The Dalian informal meeting featured the most detailed discussion
of development aspects of the Doha Round held at an informal ministerial
meeting to date. All ministers present recognised that the main
benefits of the Round for developing countries will come through
new market access opportunities that can be achieved in each of
the core areas of the negotiations. Special and differential treatment
for developing countries will be part of the modalities in each
of the core areas. Ministers also pledged to continue to help developing
countries overcome domestic exporting constraints by providing increased
technical assistance and trade-related aid. Canada, for its part,
is not waiting until the end of the Doha Development Round to provide
significant market access to least developed countries (LDCs), for
whom Canada put in place duty and quota free access for virtually
all products in January, 2003.
Despite the active discussions at the meeting, it is clear that
much work remains to be done. Negotiators had hoped to produce a
“first approximation” by the end of July 2005, which
was to build on the July 2004 Framework Agreement by outlining the
structure of key negotiating areas and suggesting the work that
remains to be done before the Hong Kong Ministerial. However, discussions
at the Dalian meeting demonstrated that the outcome of the July
2005 process would be a series of status reports produced by Chairs
of the negotiating groups, rather than the more substantive text
that was hoped for in the “first approximation”. At
the conclusion of the Dalian meeting, ministers instructed officials
to redouble their efforts in Geneva to advance the negotiating agenda.
Canada remains committed to establishing, by the Ministerial Conference
in Hong Kong, modalities (i.e. specific numbers, formulas and commitments)
for agriculture and non-agricultural market access (NAMA), direction
for an ambitious services outcome, substantial progress in areas
such as rules and trade facilitation, and progress on issues of
interest to developing countries, sufficient to provide the basis
to conclude the negotiations by the end of 2006.
The Canadian delegation at the Dalian meeting included Wayne Easter,
Member of Parliament for Malpeque, Prince Edward Island, and Parliamentary
Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food. Other WTO
members represented at the Dailan meeting were: Argentina, Australia,
Bangladesh, Barbados, Benin, Brazil, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa
Rica, Egypt, the European Union, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Jamaica,
Japan, Kenya, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan,
Rwanda, Singapore, South Africa, Switzerland, Thailand, the United
States, and Zambia. WTO Director-General Supachai Panitchpakdi,
and Chairs from the agriculture, non-agricultural market access,
and services negotiating groups also attended.
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