CongressDaily
In a speech at the National Press Club Thursday, World Trade Organization Director General Michael Moore praised China for embracing world trade, but he said the trade ministers of WTO members are nowhere near the consensus needed for a meeting to launch a new trade round. He also said he believes the Africa-Caribbean trade bill will pass Congress.
Moore--in Washington for the World Bank-International Monetary Fund meetings that are expected to generate large scale protests this weekend--also said, "To blame the World Bank for civil wars and poverty is just about as contradictory as blaming the Red Cross for wars."
Asked what he--a former New Zealand labor unionist himself-- would say to the thousands of labor union members who lobbied Capitol Hill Wednesday against permanent normal trade relations with China, Moore said: "It's overwhelmingly in the interests of U.S. businesses and workers for China to join the WTO. What kind of China do we want? China inside a rules based system and under rule of law or not?"
He added that it is possible China will join the WTO even if Congress does not grant PNTR.
Speaking of the atmosphere for trade since the failure of the ministers' meeting in Seattle to launch a new round, Moore said "consensus in Geneva is beginning to form" on the need for greater market access and better cooperation with other agencies such as the World Bank.
But he added, "Consensus is an elusive thing," and on environment and labor issues "there is no consensus yet or even on the horizon." The developing countries, Moore said, still view the environment and labor issues as "a smoke screen for protectionism" in the developed countries.
Moore said, "There is not enough flexibility to launch a new round" and listed the first four items on which members disagree as agriculture, labor, anti-dumping provisions and peak tariffs.
Moore also said trade ministers would not meet until they are "extremely close" to an agreement.
By Jerry Hagstrom:
