China will work "actively" and "constructively" at the 5th
ministerial meeting of the World Trade Organization (WTO), head of
the Chinese delegation said in Cancun, Mexico Tuesday.
Upon his arrival at the seaside resort of Mexico where the
meeting will be held on September 10-14, China's Minister of
Commerce Lu Fuyuan told Xinhua that China will work vigorously to
help push forward the Doha Round of multilateral trade talks.
"Although the disputes and difficulties are big, China will do
its best and hope the conference will bear some results," Lu
said.
This is the first time China attends a WTO ministerial
conference in the capacity of a full member since it joined the
world trade body in December 2001.
The Chinese delegation consists of about 50 delegates mainly
from the Ministry of Commerce, the Ministry of Agriculture, the
General Administration of Customs, the Ministry of Finance, the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the State Development and Reform
Commission.
The Doha Round of trade talks, launched in Doha, Qatar, 2001,
was scheduled to complete by January 1, 2005. But sharp
disagreement has made the talks on all major issues virtually
behind schedule.
(Xinhua News Agency September 10, 2003)