India & the World Trade Organization |
Quotes & Excerpts "It is but natural that in the turbulence of world
markets, in the new emerging regime of the World Trade Organisation, our principal
responsibility should be to safeguard and promote the country’s interests. There is
no need to be shy in this regard - that is what governments the world over are pursuing in
the era of globalisation. Promoting the country’s interests, strengthening its own
abilities does not mean isolating ourselves from the world. It means meeting its
challenges after thorough preparation. And a major part of the preparation, to which my
government is deeply committed, is speedy internal liberalisation of the economy, freeing
it from all the growth-hindering bureaucratic and government controls. Therefore, let us
not fear the new regimes of trade. Let us put them to work. It is right that we should
raise our voice when products that are generic to India haldi, basmati - should be
patented abroad. But the real remedy is to take all those initiatives that will enable
India and Indians to overtake others in acquiring world-class patents. That is how my
government will view the new economic order and that is how I believe all of us should
face it." "We are concerned that the comparative advantage of our
professionals is not allowed to be exploited in full measure, while, at the same time,
there is unabating pressure on us to open markets to goods and services in which the
developed world has a comparative advantage". "Deciding the contents of international trade diplomacy
will constitute the nation’s more absorbing challenge. The rich countries have
already served notice that their activism within the WTO will soon gravitate towards
issues related to agriculture and services.... The WTO also proposes to add to the agenda
issues concerning trade-related investment. Negotiations on behalf of the poor countries
without question have to be conducted with skill and speed. But the greater need is to
seek to rebuild the cohesion which the Group of 77 was wont to display... in the past and
which disintegrated, for, whatever reason, in the late 1980’s. Since unity is
strength, a rapprochement between the developing countries on the basis of common minimum
programme should be of vital importance to each of them. In the changed circumstances,
Japan and some of the erstwhile Asian Tigers, could also be interested in such a
regrouping." |