Senior Chinese legislator Shi Guangsheng said Tuesday that adequate attention should be paid to the special concerns of new members of the World Trade Organization (WTO) at its ministerial meeting held in Cancun on Sept. 10-14. 
 
Shi, former trade minister and a senior legislator of the National People's Congress of China, made the remarks at the Parliamentary Conference during the WTO meeting.

Shi said the new developing members of the WTO had made wide-ranging commitments when joining the WTO. As a result, they had little room to make more concessions in the new round of trade talks.

The main task for the new members was to implement what they had committed to rather than to make more pledges, he told the parliamentary conference, which opened here Tuesday morning.

Shi stressed that the concerns of new members on agriculture should be addressed as well.

Substantial progress must be made in the reduction of trade-distorting domestic subsidies and tariffs, as well as in the removal of export subsidies, he said.

Shi also urged special and differential treatment for developing countries.

Trade ministers from the 146 WTO members will hold a mid-term review of the Doha round talks at the Cancun meeting, which focuses on lowering global trade barriers.

(CRI, September 10, 2003)