World trade ministers were set to approve China's entry to their global club today as rich and poor countries got down to serious haggling over whether to launch a new round of global trade talks.
China's entry to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) was due to be formally approved today, crowning a 15-year drive by the world's most populous country to join the body and throwing open the doors to the world's largest potential market.
The 142 WTO members will unite in welcoming China to the organization, setting aside for a moment their deep divisions over whether to launch a new round of trade liberalisation talks - the central issue of the meeting in the Gulf state of Qatar.
WTO Director-General Mr Mike Moore said yesterday that the entry of China and Taiwan - whose membership will be approved on Sunday - was "a major historic event."
As serious negotiations began today, it became clear that rich countries such as the United States and the European Union still have a lot of work to do if they are to convince developing countries to agree to a new trade round.
While rich countries have been at pains to listen to poor countries' concerns and have made some concessions, developing countries say these do not go far enough.
They accuse rich countries of failing to fulfil all the pledges made in previous trade talks and want more time to implement earlier agreements themselves.