World

US accuses India, China of hampering progress of a world trade pact

by Sanjay Jha | July 28, 2008 at 02:14 am

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Ongoing round of World Trade talks are not heading anywhere and now Americans have accused India and China of stalling the trade negotiations. But Indian representative have responded that the US accusation as "unfair". Trade officials from 35 big trading country have been slugging out to reach for a consensus on a gloabl trade pact. Developed countries are accusing emerging nations of bargaining too hard and in fact US Trade Representative Susan Schwab was so frustrated that she left the talks on Sunday night. "Unfortunately a few emerging markets have decided that somehow they want to re-balance it in favour of one or another issue," she said.

The United States, China and India exchanged hard words as WTO negotiations dragged into a second week on Monday, with Washington accusing India and China of hampering progress to a world trade pact, delegates said.

"The blame game has started. The US began by pointing its finger at India and China, and then China retorted sharply," a diplomat in the meeting said.

Delegates from all of the 153 member states of the World Trade Organisation were meeting on Monday morning when the accusations flew.

The United States accused India and China of threatening to shatter a fragile deal reached by key parties in Geneva over the week, according to a statement.

"All their invocations of development during the past years ring hollow when these major players threaten the development benefits already on the table that are absolutely vital to the vast majority of the membership," the US deputy head at the Geneva mission to the WTO, David Shark, said.