Trade: US lambasts WTO DG for acting as depository for ECA (PRIV)
(D. Ravi Kanth, Geneva)
The United States, while signaling that it is willing to join the consensus on the controversial plurilateral Agreement on Electronic Commerce (ECA) and the Investment Facilitation for Development Agreement (IFDA), sharply criticized the World Trade Organization's Director-General for agreeing to act as a depositary for the ECA, said people familiar with the development.

WTO: DG questioned on ECA role as LDCs protest over meeting calendar (PRIV)
(D. Ravi Kanth, Geneva)
The Director-General of the World Trade Organization, Ms Ngozi Okonjo- Iweala, faced pointed questioning from a broad cross-section of the membership at the General Council (GC) meeting on 5-6 October, both over her decision to act as depository for the plurilateral Agreement on Electronic Commerce (ECA) and over a meeting calendar that the least developed countries (LDCs) say is shutting their delegations out of the organisation's work.

Trade: China lends full support to WTO reforms (PRIV)
(D. Ravi Kanth, Geneva)
China has seemingly thrown its weight behind advancing World Trade Organization reform for accomplishing "the goal of promoting universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization," at a time when some major industrialized countries appear to be attempting to erect barriers through unilateral trade measures while turning the rules-based WTO on its head, said people familiar with the development.