3 more join India-China WTO group

Three countries Venezuela, Equador and Philippines have joined the coalition on agriculture of developing countries including India, China and Brazil taking the total number to 17.

Speaking at the meeting of the parliamentary consultative committee, attached to the commerce ministry, Union minister Arun Jaitley said the coalition was in response to the EU-US joint agriculture proposal which was “loaded against” developing countries. Jaitley said there was a broad consensus, cutting across party lines, on India’s approach in the key areas of negotiations at the WTO.

Apart from agriculture, the main issue would be investment, the minister said. India was one of the principal opponents of the proposal for bringing new issues.