国内英语新闻:Chinese minister calls for "positive signal" to help world economy recover

GENEVA, Nov. 30 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Commerce Minister Chen Deming on Monday called on the Seventh WTO Ministerial Conference to send a positive signal to the world to help stabilize and improve the crisis-hit global economy.

    "Today at this gathering we should send a positive signal to the rest of the world, a signal to 'open up, advance and reform,'" Chen said at the opening plenary of the three-day conference, which was participated by trade and agriculture ministers from most of the 153 WTO members.

    "Now the global economy has shown signs of stabilizing and improving, but the foundation for the turnaround is not solid. The road to complete recovery remains long and winding," Chen said.

    He stressed the importance of trade opening and resisting protectionist pressures for world recovery. "We should not close our doors for fear of risks or challenges."

    "As long as WTO members can form consensus to stand by their WTO commitments, not adopt protectionist measures and remain open, we will be able to gather enormous strength to tide over the crisis," he said.

    The minister also stressed the need to advance the long-running Doha Round global trade negotiations as a way to reform and enhance the multilateral trade system.

    Eight years after its launch with a primary goal to help poor countries prosper through trade opening, the complex Doha Round is still not in its endgame because WTO members cannot narrow gaps on such key issues as agricultural tariffs, subsidies and industrial market access.

    After several missed deadlines, WTO members have set a latest deadline for concluding the Round in 2010.

    Chen stressed that progress made in the past eight years, as reflected in the agriculture and NAMA (non-agricultural market access) texts as of December 2008, "is hard won, and cannot be overturned for any excuse."

    He also called for respecting the Doha Round's development mandate and keeping multilateral negotiations as the major channel." Then it is hopeful that the talks can be successfully concluded in 2010."

    According to the Chinese minister, the WTO, as the only institutional arrangement governing global trade, needs necessary reform to improve its rules and functions, broaden its influence over other important international coordinating mechanisms, and assume a greater responsibility and role in governing global economy.

    The organization should reform toward the direction of promoting sustainable development, Chen said.

    It also needs to step up efforts in Aid for Trade and trade finance, while advancing trade liberalization. As a result, developing countries, especially LDCs (Least Developed Countries),can gain real benefits from globalization, he added.