WTO meet: India’s attempt to break the deadlock
The meeting aims to focus on issues affecting all WTO members
A two-day mini-ministerial World Trade Organisation (WTO) meeting hosted by India from March 19-20 aims to address significant challenges faced by WTO member-nations. India might initiate discussions on liberalisation of service trade, concerns over protectionism and agricultural stocking.
After the WTO Buenos Aires ministerial meeting in December 2017 subsided, India is hosting a mini-ministerial conclave of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) from March 19–20, to enable an exchange of ideas and views on significant challenges faced by the multilateral trading system.
Currently, WTO is facing various challenges that require political guidance. “We have very significant challenges before us. The WTO dispute settlement system by a blockage in the appointment of appellate body members and this will be a focus of our conversations in New Delhi,” Roberto Azevedo, Director General, WTO, told the press during a briefing organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).
During the discussions, India is expected to lay the first stone about finding a solution to agricultural stocking for food security, as according to the current norms of WTO, food subsidy bill must not exceed 10 pc of the value of production based on the reference price of 1986-88. However, India has been seeking amendments as a complete implementation of the country’s food security programme that could result in breaching the WTO subsidy limit.
However, away from discussing the food security issues, richer nations of the European Union and Canada have been pushing for newer discussions including global e-commerce rules, investment facilitation, rules for small and medium enterprises (SMEs), and promotion of gender equality, among others.
Even after the meeting aims to focus on issues affecting all WTO members and discussing bilateral problems seems unsuitable, India might press for issues like the US raising import duty on aluminium and steel and increase in protectionism. Trade tensions have increased in recent months with US President Donald trump targeting India, China and other countries. Thus India might approach WTO’s dispute settlement body against the US move.
While invitations for the meeting had been extended to approximately 50 nations, ministerial-level delegations have been confirmed from Russia, Indonesia, Singapore and South Africa. Other nations will be represented through political representatives or vice-ministers. However, Pakistan refused to attend as a protest against alleged harassment of its diplomats in India.
