China hails South’s historic win over Washington bloc
10 May 2013 5:57 AM IST
China's state news agency on Thursday welcomed the appointment of Brazilian career diplomat Roberto Azevedo to head the World Trade Organisation, saying it showed the growing clout of emerging economies.
Azevedo's selection is 'something worth celebrating' as this marks the first time a candidate from the BRICS grouping — Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa — has secured the top job at the WTO, Xinhua said in a commentary. His appointment 'further testifies to the widely recognised fact that emerging economies are playing an increasingly important role in global economic activities,' it said.
Azevedo, 55, will take the helm of the 159-member grouping still trying to find its way after the collapse of the Doha round of global trade talks in 2008. The current rules underpinning global trade date from 1994.
Xinhua, however, cautioned that in the face of protectionism, the Brazilian faces a daunting task to achieve consensus.
'No one should be ignorant about the fact that Azevedo's efforts to revive stalled trade talks and fight disruptive protectionist measures can succeed only if major global trade powers rally behind him and iron out their differences for global development,' it said.
Azevedo emerged victorious as the consensus choice of WTO members and will replace Frenchman Pascal Lamy, a former EU trade commissioner, as director-general on 1 September.
Azevedo's selection is 'something worth celebrating' as this marks the first time a candidate from the BRICS grouping — Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa — has secured the top job at the WTO, Xinhua said in a commentary. His appointment 'further testifies to the widely recognised fact that emerging economies are playing an increasingly important role in global economic activities,' it said.
Azevedo, 55, will take the helm of the 159-member grouping still trying to find its way after the collapse of the Doha round of global trade talks in 2008. The current rules underpinning global trade date from 1994.
Xinhua, however, cautioned that in the face of protectionism, the Brazilian faces a daunting task to achieve consensus.
'No one should be ignorant about the fact that Azevedo's efforts to revive stalled trade talks and fight disruptive protectionist measures can succeed only if major global trade powers rally behind him and iron out their differences for global development,' it said.
Azevedo emerged victorious as the consensus choice of WTO members and will replace Frenchman Pascal Lamy, a former EU trade commissioner, as director-general on 1 September.
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