NEW DELHI, Mar 31: India on Tuesday said it has called for initiating discussion at the WTO on its proposal on the transfer of modern technologies to emerging and least developed economies to help enhance their share in global trade, while pushing for negotiations through “possible new approaches” to move agriculture talks forward.
The commerce ministry said the country has also extended its support for robust work at the World Trade Organization (WTO) on digital divide, digital infrastructure and skills and regulatory frameworks to ensure benefits for developing countries and least developed countries (LDCs).
These issues came up during the recently concluded 14th ministerial conference of the WTO in Yaounde, Cameroon.
“Calling for members’ constructive engagement on India’s proposal on the transfer of relevant and advanced technologies for trade, India highlighted that transfer of technology supports the greater global economic good, by increasing efficiency and productivity, and would particularly help developing and LDC members enhance their participation in international trade,” the ministry said.
India engaged constructively towards members’ efforts at reaching a convergence on the issue of extension of the moratorium on customs duty on electronic transmissions, but no consensus could be reached amongst the membership on the matter.
The issue of moratorium and the work program on e-commerce will now be taken up for decision at the next meeting of the General Council in Geneva.
On the issue of agriculture, India emphasised that the current impasse in agricultural negotiations stems from a trust deficit, which can only be addressed by delivering on commitments agreed in past ministerial conferences.
“In this context, India called on constructive engagement from members India’s submission on Possible New Approaches for taking the agriculture negotiation forward,” the ministry said adding it needs to be ensured that the focus of negotiations is not diverted and remains consistent with delivering priority outcomes on long-pending issues on public stock holding, and special safeguard mechanisms.
Further, the country has extended its support for the proposal for extension of the moratorium on non-violation and situation complaints (NVSC) in the TRIPS agreement.
On special and differential treatment, India has stated that it must not be amended, diluted, or re-conceived in the guise of reform and called for strengthening the implementation of this measure for developing and LDCs by making it more precise, effective and operational.
Opposing the China-led investment facilitation and development agreement, India has cautioned the WTO members that the incorporation of this proposal risks eroding the foundational principles and functional limits of the WTO.
“India indicated that as part of WTO reform discussion, members are seeking guardrails and legal safeguards for plurilaterals before integration of any specific plurilateral outcome. Hence, India did not agree to incorporation of the Investment Facilitation for Development Agreement (IFD) into the WTO framework as an Annex 4 agreement,” it said.
US ON E-COMMERCE MORATORIUM:
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In a statement, the US Trade Representative (USTR) Jamieson Greer has expressed disappointment that because of few WTO members, no decision was reached on extending customs duty moratorium on e-commerce.
“If the WTO cannot achieve this commonsense aim, the United States will work outside of the WTO with all interested partners to get it done. To that end, the United States invites all trading partners to commit to a plurilateral, e-commerce moratorium agreement,” Greer has said.
The WTO’s MC14 ended in impasse on March 30, after an agreement among WTO Members to extend the moratorium was blocked by Brazil and Turkiye.
“It is particularly frustrating that the WTO could not achieve consensus to make the e-commerce moratorium permanent or even to extend it for longer than two years. Unfortunately, and despite revised US offers regarding the duration and format for an extension of the moratorium, two members would rather let it lapse after 28 years than do the right thing for innovation and the digital economy,” he added. (PTI)
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