"If the basis of the round (Doha negotiations) has to see a change in its very objectives, it would be tough going for global trade integration," said Commerce and Industry Minister Kamal Nath. "Revival of the weakest" and "not survival of the fittest" should form the core of the negotiations, he added. Otherwise, a renewed attempt being made by WTO Director General Pascal Lamy to bring the talks back on rail could meet the fate of the recently abandoned talks in Geneva.
The 10th ministerial conference, will be held at Nairobi, Kenya.
India has rejected the World Trade Organisation's proposal to conclude the negotiations on the Doha Round by June-end.
According to a senior commerce department official, though India is ready to sign the TFA and take necessary actions towards that, it is imperative that a discussion on public stockholding gets its due importance.
The opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday warned that it would launch a an agitation if the government changed India's stand at the Doha Round of WTO negotiations for free trade.
According to the Morcha, the demands which Delhi Chalo has been called include: MSP should be guaranteed as per C2+50 percent formula and, as promised, a law should be made to guarantee it; all the farmers should be made debt free, and all agricultural loan must be waived.
The study paper by Melbourne-based think-tank Australia India Institute titled 'The G20: Challenges and opportunities Ahead', said following Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the US and his talks with US President Barack Obama, India may finally sign the agreement.
India decided last week not to ratify WTO's Trade Facilitation Agreement.
Country's apex business chambers -- CII, Ficci and Assocham -- have said the WTO draft on Non-Agriculture Market Access under the Doha Round of trade talks was in complete disregard to the mandate of the round, which had to revolve around lesser obligation on the developing countries for duty reduction.
Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma will meet new US Trade Representative Ron Kirk at Bali in Indonesia on June 6-7, on the sidelines of the meeting of the Cairns Group of farm product-exporting countries. The two countries have serious differences on the level of protection that can be given to farmers as and when the global market for farm products is opened up. India has argued all along that it cannot compromise on food security and livelihood concerns.
India's exports declined by 2.83 per cent to $33.90 billion in November this year compared to $34.89 billion a year ago, government data released on Friday showed. Imports also declined to $54.48 billion in the month under consideration, as against $56.95 billion recorded in November 2022.
Refusing to budge from its tough stand on food security issues, India pressed for a fair and balanced outcome of the WTO ministerial meeting in Bali.
Australian Trade Minister Simon Crean has expressed optimism in sorting and settling challenging differences.
World Trade Organization Chief Pascal Lamy wants to have second term in office. He has now decided to throw his hat in the race in which he will be the first candidate to file papers.
The November 26 meeting, the first of its kind, will also take up trade facilitation agreement.
The differences between the rich and developing nations have always been at the core of the World Trade Organisation, set up in 1995 to facilitate greater trade flows across the world, and it came as a major breakthrough when the US and India reached a deal over food security issues in 2014.
The California walnuts shipped from the US to India have seen a sharp uptick with imports more than doubling from September to November against the same period last year. This comes after New Delhi removed its retaliatory customs tariffs on the key dry fruit. Two days ahead of US President Joe Biden's visit to New Delhi to attend the G20 Summit on September 9-10, India dropped additional customs duties on about half a dozen US goods that were imposed in 2019 in response to America raising tariffs on certain steel and aluminum products coming from India.
The issue of Doha round of WTO talks dominated the discussions as Prime Minister Manmahon Singh met his British counterpart Gordon Brown here and agreed on the need for pushing the stalled negotiations. Brown, while favouring cut in farm subsidies in the US and the Europe, voiced optimism that an agreement could be reached in the global trade talks that have got stuck due to stiff opposition by India and some other developing countries on agriculture subsidies.
India may formally approach the World Trade Organisation's dispute panel against the European Union following the seizure of low-cost generic medicine consignments in European ports meant for other developing countries. The two parties have failed to reach an amicable solution during the consultation process.
India has reiterated that members have spent over a decade on the Doha Round and it should not be kept hanging.
Indian textiles industry needs to restructure itself by evolving manufacturing and marketing strategies to take advantage of the likely addition of a $100 billion to world textiles trade, once the quota regime under WTO ends in 2004.
This comes in the backdrop of the circulation of new draft negotiating texts last week by the WTO on agriculture, industrial goods and sectorals.
Modi emphasised on deeper India-Africa partnership on clean energy.
The US on Tuesday said India must play a leadership role for achieving a global trade-liberalising agreement among 150 WTO members under the Doha Round of negotiations.
Bed linen issue: India files appeal in WTO
The United States has filed a complaint against China at the World Trade Organisation over the nearly $3 billion of antidumping and countervailing duties that Beijing levies on US automobile exports, saying that such duties abuse trade laws.
The world's top eight industrial nations on Monday ppeared to have climbed down from a tough position on farm subsidies, reviving hopes of resumption of the collasped WTO talks.
Lamy said that increasing use of non-tariff measures by different countries are impacting trade.
Opening up markets in the advanced developing countries for products from advanced economies remains the 'core challenge' of the 9-year-old Doha negotiations, the US said.
Rajya Sabha was adjourned twice during Question Hour on Monday as the Congress created uproar saying there were inconsistencies in government statements on the World Trade Organisation though Finance Minister Arun Jaitley asserted there was no contradiction.
World Trade Organisation chief Pascal Lamy has endorsed India's stand in global trade talks but asked New Delhi to look at the 'bigger picture' and help break the impasse.
Late last month, India torpedoed a deal to simplify, standardise and streamline the rules for shipping goods across borders, know as 'trade facilitation', after it demanded concessions on agricultural stockpiling.
India believes rich nations should be away from farm subsidies.
India and the US have agreed to meet next month for resolving differences on farm subsidies and industrial tariffs as part of efforts to resume the deadlocked global trade negotiations.
The minister, at a packed press conference, made it clear that New Delhi was not prepared for any compromise on the food security issue, adding the deal at Bali has to be fair and balanced as 'it is better to have no agreement than a bad Agreement'.
Ruling out any compromise on developing countries' stance on agriculture, India on Wednesday made it clear that it would not mind even if Hong Kong WTO Ministerial next week collapses on this count
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