【正确答案】During the Uruguay Round, GATT Members had worked very hard to bring it to a conclusion. However, the outcome of that Round turned out to be somewhat disappointing, in the sense that the imbalance in the world economy became more acute, and the problem of polarization was getting increasingly serious. As a result, developing countries took these as something unbearable, and the developed ones also felt the urgency of making a change. This is perhaps the primary reason why the current Doha round is named "Doha Development Agenda". This represents a major step forward in the history of the WTO. This is also a wise and visionary choice by the WTO Members. If the objectives of development can be realized through this Round, then countries, no matter rich or poor, would benefit from an environment favorable to sustainable development for co-existing in a world of greater harmony.//
China would support a balanced outcome of the Doha Round. To us, it does not mean a self-balance through trade-off between the offensive and defensive interests of a particular developed country itself. Rather, it must be conducive to the achievement of overall balance for developing countries as a whole. As a matter of fact, there already exists a serious imbalance in terms of the general levels of development between the rich nations and the poor ones, with negative impact on the overall economic development of the whole world. To redress this imbalance, developed countries must do more in this Round and must be willing to consider offering sufficient policy space for developing countries.//
Agriculture is the centerpiece of the Doha Round negotiations. Although both developed and developing countries are faced with pressures, the nature of their difficulties is very different. Of the 2.6 billion farming population in the world, 2.5 billion reside in the developing countries, and the majority of them are living below poverty lines. Even if some developing countries were willing to embark on the road of trade liberalization, they would have to take into account the basic livelihood of millions or even billions of their farmers. To expose those poor farmers to further external shocks could trigger disastrous consequences. Should such scenario occur, the lifestyle of the rich countries would be endangered, too.//