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发帖数: 343 | 1 China backs bid to extend Phl rice import perks
(The Philippine Star) Updated April 28, 2012 12:00 AM Comments (6)
MANILA, Philippines - China has expressed willingness to support the
Philippine request before the World Trade Organization (WTO) to extend its
special treatment through quantitative restrictions on rice imports.
In a high-level meeting with National Food Authority (NFA) administrator
Angelito Banayo in Beijing on April 26, Deputy Minister for International
Trade Yu Jianhua said his country will support the Philippine request,
citing the importance of economic cooperation between the two countries.
This came as a pleasant surprise to the Philippine delegation led by Banayo
and Agriculture Assistant Secretary Romeo Reside, along with NFA lawyer
Gilbert Lauengco, who came to the Chinese capital to start formal bilateral
negotiations seeking to extend quantitative restrictions on rice imports,
which are otherwise due to expire on June 30, 2012.
Banayo said Philippine embassy officials here were ecstatic about the good
news, which they described as a “thaw in the icy cold relations” of the
Philippines and China due to the standoff in the Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal.
“We started our bilaterals with what we thought would be the most difficult
, considering the state of our political relations. But the Chinese
officials were most cordial and gracious, and they even tendered a sumptuous
lunch for the delegation,” Banayo said.
The Philippines, through its WTO Mission in Geneva, earlier filed a waiver
in order to extend the rice quantitative restrictions, and is seeking the
support of interested countries so there will be a consensus to allow the
country to limit the volume of rice imports beyond the seven-year limit
agreed upon in 2005.
Earlier, the Philippine mission in the Chinese capital, including
Agricultural Counsellor Victoriano Leviste and Commercial Counsellor
Zafrullah Masahud who joined Banayo and delegation in the bilateral talks
with the Chinese Ministry of Commerce, were apprehensive that the current
climate of relations between the two countries owing to the Panatag Shoal
and Spratlys issues would affect Beijing’s support on the rice issue.
Under WTO rules, a consensus of all member countries has to be reached
before agreeing to a member’s request for special treatment. At present
only the Philippines and Korea have been allowed to impose quantitative
restrictions on the importation of its main staple.
The Philippines especially needs to continue the restrictions because 4
million palay farmers’ livelihood may be affected by a surge of
unrestricted imports. The DA under Secretary Proceso Alcala hopes to achieve
rice self-sufficiency by 2013, a program that has been approved by
President Aquino.
Subsequent detailed bilateral talks between E. Defeng, Deputy Director of
WTO Affairs Department of China, with Banayo and Reside turned out smoothly,
as the bilateral demands of China were confined to their country’s
specific quota for rice, where China asked for the same percentage of volume
increase that the Philippines would eventually grant to other rice-
producing countries.
The very friendly bilateral negotiations between the Philippine delegation
and the Chinese Ministry of Commerce augurs well for the country’s rice
self-sufficiency efforts.
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