BEIJING, Dec 7: China will work together with Pakistan and other regional countries to protect the interest of developing nations while adopting a “balanced package” at the World Trade Organization (WTO) Doha Round of free trade talks.

A senior Chinese official said here on Wednesday that all the parties concerned should reach a consensus on all key issues at the next Hong Kong ministerial conference to lay a foundation for the Doha Round in 2006.

He said China would continue to play a “positive and constructive” role in the talks and make the Hong Kong ministerial meeting a success by joining hands with other WTO members.

“The Doha Round should make efforts to practically carry forward the process of trade liberalization and essentially increase the opportunity of market access for developing members and take into consideration their problems in the process of trade liberalization.”

Meanwhile, Hong Kong secretary for commerce John Tsang Tsang said Pakistan and China would be among the major partners, facilitating negotiations in settling core issues being faced by the WTO.

In a statement, he said the issues of some basic nature would come under discussion at the six-day WTO’s ministerial conference starting from December 13.

Pakistan will be represented at the conference by Commerce Minister Humayun Akhtar Khan.

Sources told APP here that Pakistan attached a great importance to the meeting and wished to play an active role in ensuring fair trade opportunities and access of their agriculture products to developed countries.

The WTO ministerial conference is the highest decision-making body, meeting at least once every two years and providing political direction for the organization. The HK conference will be vital for moving the four-year-old Doha Development Agenda negotiations forward to conclude the round in 2006.

Mr Tsang urged 148-member WTO countries to demonstrate their global vision and individual courage to make the conference a success. He said the conference would not be just an occasion for stocktaking. “We will be fully engaged in serious negotiations. We will aim to ratchet up the extent and quality of our convergence, and set the platform for the next stage of our preparation towards the conclusion of the (Doha) Round by the end of 2006.”—APP