At odds elsewhere, India, China in same WTO team

NEW DELHI: Political differences between India and China notwithstanding, the two countries are working in unison at the World Trade Organisation. India recently supported a proposal by China seeking more representation in the WTO secretariat in Geneva.

“India has co-sponsored a proposal initiated by China and several countries, including South Africa, in the Budget Finance and Administration Committee of the WTO that has called for staff composition of the secretariat that is more representative of the WTO membership as a whole,” South Africa's Head of Delegation to WTO Faizel Ismail said here on Saturday.

India and China are also pushing for reforms and more representation for the developing countries in other multilateral organisations like the International Monetary Fund and and the World Bank. However, the two neighbours recently saw tension rising on the border issue and Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama's visit to Twang in Arunachal Pradesh. As per official website of the WTO, 327 out of the 629 permanent staff in the secretariat are from France, Switzerland , UK and USA.