The United States should show flexibility instead of threatening developing countries, to avoid a failure of the Doha Round trade negotiations, the Chinese ambassador to the World Trade Organization (WTO) said Monday.
"They have to remember that this is a Development Round. If they cover all their sensitivities for themselves, and keep on putting threats on developing countries, I think we are going nowhere," said Sun Zhenyu at a meeting of WTO heads of delegations.
Sun was responding to U.S. accusations that the positions of China and other emerging economies like India "have thrown the entire Doha Round into the gravest jeopardy."
"We have tried very hard to contribute to the success of the Round. It is a little bit surprising that at this time the U.S. started this finger pointing," Sun said.
Trade and agricultural ministers from 35 major WTO members have been negotiating in Geneva since July 21, trying to make a breakthrough in agriculture and NAMA (non-agricultural market access), the two key areas that have blocked the Doha Round from substantial progress for nearly seven years.
WTO Director-General Pascal Lamy said Monday that ministers have made significant progress in the past week and a lot of convergence has emerged.
But quite a few sensitive and crucial issues remain to be resolved, among them U.S. cotton subsidies, SSM (special safeguardmechanism) for developing countries and the creation of new tariffrate quotas.
The mini-ministerial meeting was originally scheduled to end Saturday, but it has been postponed until at least Tuesday or Wednesday, due to remaining sharp differences.
