WTO talk in Hong Kong

I am so puzzled why no one is making any comments on the WTO talk currently held in Hong Kong. As usual, wealthy nations (the United States and the EU) refuse to yield to the demands of poor nations when it comes to agricultural subsidies. They're blaming one another. In fact the talk is so unsucessful that some people say the WTO is taking a step back rather than making any real progress.

I think it's the Indian delegate who said, "Free trade must also mean fair trade." While the United States and the EU are all pushing for the so-called "free trade", that trade is not really "free". They only want "free" access to the markets of the poor countries. But whenever it comes to their own interests, that trade is not free anymore.

Take the textile dispute between the EU and China and a similar one between the United States and China. When there's a huge influx of cheap Chinese textile products into European and American markets after the trade barriers had been removed (based on a consensus previously reached by all the parties involved), both the EU and the Americans immediately became alarmed and started talking tough against China, threatening to retaliate. All that is reasonable. But whenever barriers are raised against the import of any country, is that really "free trade"?

It's ok to protect the interests of one's own country, I guess, especially quite a lot of forumers here scoff at me talking about moral and conscience. But at least governments should be honest about it and stop sugarcoating unfair trade and selective protectionism (usually to the advantage of rich nations) with the pseudonym "free trade". 

 

 

They've finally kinda come up with some sort of agreement on the elimination of agricultural subsidies by the year 2014 .... So it's not a complete disaster. My opinion is that large-scale international talks like that are usually quite useless. My second opinion is that organizations such as WTO, IMF, and the World Bank are doing the world (especially the developing world) more harm than good. The only "good" thing that comes out of meetings like that is that it helps to draw our attention - at least momemtarily - to the plight of poor countries.