Doha Round stuck due to China, India, Brazil: USA
US ambassador to the World Trade Organisation Michael Punke said it was vital for for China, India and Brazil to step up to their responsibilities as major world economic players to achieve a breakthrough in the Doha Round of trade negotiations.
Stalled since last year, the Doha Round talks stumbled over issues such as agriculture and tightened on the division between developed and emerging nations.
Punke said the three advanced emerging economies of China, India and Brazil needed to open “to the degree that is commensurate with the benefit they have gained from participating in the global economy”.
“If we are going to overcome the difficulties, we have to have real negotiation. And there’s no shortcut to that,” said Punke. “Do I think that the negotiations that we face will be difficult? Absolutely. Do I think we can achieve success in those negotiations? Yes, if everyone is engaged.”
His presence in Geneva, the next site of the trade negotiations, buoys hopes that the US is committed to a world treaty. However, he criticised the unevenness of the talks, indicating: “I have the full authority to negotiate, but what I hear from some of my counterparts is that they do not have that authority.”
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