China in WTO -- India to sign treaty

China in WTO -- India to sign treaty
PRESS TRUST OF INDIA

BANGKOK, FEB 17: India will sign an agreement with China pledging its support to Beijing's accession to the WTO during the upcoming Joint Economic Group meeting, Commerce and Industry Minister Murasoli Maran said here today.

Maran, who left here for Beijing on a six-day visit to attend the sixth session of the India-China JEG, said that China's accession would further "strengthen the hands" of the developing countries.

Dispelling fears that this would marginalise India's position in the multilateral trade body, Maran, who was here to participate in United Nations Trade and Development Conference, said China's entry would help in projecting the views of developing countries more forcefully.

India will also sign a protocol during the two-day JEG, aimed at further strengthening economic relations between the two countries, he said.

Before attending the JEG beginning on February 21, Maran will visit Shanghai to study the Chinese experience on the export processing zones.