India backs WTO reset with core focus intact

NEW DELHI: India on Thursday backed reforming the World Trade Organisation but underlined the need to retain the core focus on poor and developing countries and a consensus-driven decision-making process.“The necessary reform of WTO should be carried out through a transparent, inclusive and member-driven process, keeping development at its core, upholding the foundational principles and objectives of the organisation, mainly non-discrimination, consensus-based decision making and equity. Special and differential treatment (S&DT) should be precise, effective and operational,” commerce & industry minister Piyush Goyal said in his intervention at the ministerial meeting that kicked off on Thursday.While calling for past mandates given by members to be delivered, Goyal highlighted the need to get the dispute settlement mechanism going again. The US has blocked appointments to the appellate body, holding up the entire process of dispute resolution He also flagged his concern over the failure of the WTO membership to address concerns of poor countries that grow and export cotton, or India’s concerns over public stockholding, an issue that has been pending for 12 years now with ministers kicking the can down the road every time they meet. “…we must deliver on them on priority,” Goyal said at the meeting in Cameroon.India also thumbed down China’s push for an investment facilitation framework but did not make an explicit mention. Instead, Goyal said the incorporation of plurilateral outcomes into the WTO framework should be based on consensus and not impair existing rights of non-parties or cast additional obligations on them. A plurilateral agreement, which according to India needs to be cleared through consensus, means a group of countries can finalise a pact on an issue such as IT goods.Further, he suggested that India is not keen on continuing the customs waiver for e-commerce.