China has always played an active role in the Doha Round of global trade talks, and it sincerely hopes the talks would have a successful conclusion, a senior Chinese official said in Geneva on Thursday.

"Not only developed countries, but also developing countries including China, need the multilateral trade system," said Zhang Xiangchen, head of WTO affairs of the Chinese Ministry of Commerce.

"Given its huge volume of imports and export, China has always made the multilateral trade system a priority of its trade policies, " Zhang told Xinhua in an interview.

Trade and agricultural ministers from 35 WTO members have gathered in Geneva since Monday, trying to reach a breakthrough on agricultural trade and industrial market access, the two key areas of the Doha Round trade opening talks.

(Xinhua News Agency July 25, 2008)