When U.S. and European delegates at the global trade talks here say they're working hard to help the poorest countries climb the ladder of wealth, it's hard to take them at their word.
One day into the ministerial meeting, the European Union remained at odds with the United States, Canada and Japan over the scope and implementation of an initiative to provide duty-free quota-free access to least developed countries (LDCs).
US and EU want sectoral /plurilateral negotiations in Services to be launched after the Hong Kong Ministerial. The language in the draft text that will facilitate such negotiations are para. 21 and Annex C
The United States warned trading partners on Wednesday that the world would slip back into protectionism without progress in global talks to reform world commerce, stunting economic growth and hitting the poor.
Thousands of anti-globalization activists marched through Hong Kong watched by a huge security operation aimed at preventing a repeat of violence that has rocked previous WTO meetings.
'Say no to WTO' was the consensus reached by Asian grassroots activists who gathered this morning at Victoria Park in Hong Kong to share their experiences of unfair trade policies imposed by rich nations
