October 24, 2001	Wednesday	Shaba'an 6, 1422

HONG KONG, Oct 23: The next chief of the World Trade Organization (WTO) on Tuesday urged the world to press ahead with a new round of trade talks despite concerns over an ailing global economy and security in the wake of the September 11, attacks on the United States.

We need to get on with the agenda, Supachai Panitchpakdi, Thailand’s former deputy prime minister, told reporters on the sidelines of a business conference in Hong Kong.

He said he expected the launch of a fresh round of global trade liberalisation talks and though he did not elaborate, he said agricultural issues are likely to top the agenda.

I do not know whether (investment and competition in the agriculture industry) would be part of the new round of talks or not, but it will feature as one of the discussion points at the Doha meeting, he said.

Supachai said the treatment of anti-dumping duties might also be discussed.

Most crucial, is how to treat the impact of trade on the environment and how to harmonise multi-lateral environmental agreements with trade pools, he added.

Supachai said he does not foresee any changes to the venue of the meeting scheduled to be held between November 9-13 in Doha, the capital city of Qatar, especially since President Bush has confirmed that the US will attend despite security concerns.

Supachai added that even if there are unexpected changes to the time and venue of the event, issues surrounding the approval of China’s accession to the world trade body may take place in a separate meeting to be held in Geneva.

In case of unforeseen circumstances, China as an issue can be taken up in another meeting to be arranged in Geneva, he said.

WTO ministers are expected to approve the membership of China at the Doha meeting which representatives from at least 141 countries are expected to attend.

Supachai, who will replace the current WTO director general Mike Moore in September 2002, also said he does not see security as a concern at the trade ministers’ meeting.

Security had been well taken care of by the Qatari government way before the September 11, event, he said.

BEIJING: China will revise its anti-dumping rules to comply with World Trade Organization regulations and protect domestic firms better, the official China Daily reported on Tuesday.

We will use legal weapons to strike against irregular competition in the Chinese market by foreign manufacturers, the newspaper quoted Wei Jianguo, assistant minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation, as saying.

The ministry had submitted an amendment to the existing anti-dumping rules, which were drafted in 1997, to the cabinet for approval, the newspaper said.

The revised rules were expected to take effect late this year or early next year, it said.

China has pledged to open its domestic markets wider to foreign competition after its entry into the WTO, which is expected this year.—Reuters