Sen. Chuck Grassley, chairman of the Committee on Finance, with jurisdiction over international trade, today made the following comment on the collapse of the Doha round of worldwide trade talks.
“I’m very disappointed. And I wonder whether our trading partners truly appreciate how much we stand to lose if this round fails. The poorest developing countries have the most to gain from a successful round. And success rests on creating real market access opportunities.
Unfortunately, too many of our trading partners have just been unwilling to allow enough market access. I’ve always said that no deal is better than a bad deal, and a ‘Doha lite’ deal would be a bad deal. I’m glad our trade negotiators held their ground. They appreciate that lesser ambition doesn’t serve our interests, and it’s not in the best interest of the global trading community. I’m also frustrated that two of our more vocal critics, the EU and India, are also two of the biggest advocates of maintaining protectionist policies in the WTO negotiations. As long as they wear their blinders,
we’ll never see eye-to-eye on a good trade deal, and poorer countries will pay the highest price."
Source: Ranking Member’s News
