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53-700: The main goals of the FTA include: In the first 3 years of the agreement, trade increased by 36% (from $ 324 million to $ 440 million). It has been proposed that the Free Trade Area of the Americas be modeled after the CCRFTA. Amounts in thousands of Canadian dollars. There are a number of ongoing negotiations for modernization of the agreement. Free Trade Area of the Americas The Free Trade Area of

106-746: A Hong Kong's local newspaper, the South China Morning Post , France's trade minister, Christine Lagarde , anticipated that there would no consensus and no major progress in Hong Kong. A steering committee, chaired by the Permanent Secretary for Commerce, Industry and Technology (Commerce and Industry) of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), Denise Yue , was set up in August 2004. Seven working groups under

159-590: A deal in MC6, a 42-page draft unveiled by WTO Director-General Pascal Lamy show how far they are agreeing on critical issues. The draft does reflect some progress made over 18 months on new anti-dumping rules and customs facilities improvement. However, the two subjects, reducing tariffs and subsidies on either agriculture or manufactured goods, have held up the negotiations. Trade officials said unless progress has been made in negotiations in these two subjects, meaningful deal can hardly be reached in MC6. In an interview with

212-518: Is a platform that member states from all over the world can gather to discuss issues that influence global trade and economic development such as General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade , agricultural subsidies and equal access to technology. The WTO has stated that it seeks to assist developing countries enhance their rural-based economies. It has been suggested that advanced technology could be provided by other countries. Developing countries are seeking easier access to foreign markets, especially those in

265-694: Is the highest decision-making body in the World Trade Organization (WTO), meeting at least once every two years and providing political direction for the organization. The Hong Kong Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization, which was held from 13 to 18 December 2005, is the sixth ministerial conference (MC6) of the WTO. The 150 WTO member economies aimed to reach a preliminary agreement on liberalization of farm trade by reducing subsidies, providing Aid for Trade and address other issues at

318-513: The Bolivarian Alliance for the Americas ( Alianza Bolivariana para las Américas , ALBA) which emphasizes energy and infrastructure agreements. Evo Morales of Bolivia has referred to the U.S.-backed Free Trade Area of the Americas, as "an agreement to legalize the colonization of the Americas". On the other hand, the then presidents of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva , and Argentina, Néstor Kirchner , have stated that they do not oppose

371-536: The Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre were allowed to enter or leave the closed area during the closure period. Other people who needed to enter the closed area for justifiable reasons applied for permits from the police. A total of 9,000 officers from the Hong Kong Police Force were on stand-by for the conference, which was one-third of the regular police force and the greatest number of all

424-717: The Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre were erected. French windows of shops, including McDonald's in Sun Hung Kai Centre, which is close to the Wan Chai Sports Ground protest zone, were surrounded by wire nettings. The Wan Chai Cargo Handling Basin in Wan Chai, which was also assigned as a protest zone, had fences surrounding the area. The ground of the Cargo Handling Basin was also levelled. Drain covers outside Wanchai Tower were secured, and bricks on

477-753: The Trans-Pacific Partnership , and resolving disputes with the European Union. The following countries were planned to be part of the Free Trade Area of the Americas: A vocal critic of the FTAA was Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez , who has described it as an " annexation plan" and a "tool of imperialism " for the exploitation of Latin America. As a counterproposal to this initiative, Chávez promoted

530-674: The 1990s, Mr Lee said the Hong Kong Police Force should be able to handle any protests. In the unlikely event of an emergency which the police cannot handle, the Chief Executive had the power to seek help from the Hong Kong detachment of the People's Liberation Army (PLA). Provisions for this were in the Hong Kong Basic Law . On 17 December, the Hong Kong Police Force used tear gas , pepper spray and fire hoses in order to suppress

583-651: The 2,000 Koreans during the conference, held the first press conference outside the Cultural Centre on 29 November 2005. They were dissatisfied with the fence erected at a demonstration site on Wan Chai's waterfront. Elizabeth Tang Yin-ngor, chairwoman of the Hong Kong People's Alliance on WTO, said protesters had wanted to see and be seen from the Convention and Exhibition Centre, where trade ministers gathered even while they were sitting. Lee Young-so, policy director of

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636-588: The 5 Star Hotels where the delegates were meeting. This provoked confrontations with security forces and a KPL member, Lee Kyung Hae , stabbed himself to death in protest. The KPL claimed they did not support this act. The KPL group promised to the Hong Kong People's Alliance on WTO that they will adhere to protest perimeters and refrain from drinking alcohol in public, however later they engaged in violent and non-peaceful acts of protests during their duration in Hong Kong. The Hong Kong People's Alliance on WTO ,

689-648: The Americas ( FTAA , or in Spanish-speaking countries the Área de Libre Comercio de las Américas , ALCA ) was a proposed agreement to eliminate or reduce the trade barriers among all countries in the Americas , excluding Cuba . Negotiations to establish the FTAA ended in failure, however, with all parties unable to reach an agreement by the 2005 deadline they had set for themselves. In the last round of negotiations, trade ministers from 34 countries met in Miami , Florida, in

742-545: The EU and North America. Moreover, they are seeking a larger quota of export and free tax for their products. In order to protect the interests of developing countries and recognise their needs, the term 'consider positively' may be extended to seven years as to eliminate any measures that are inconsistent with the overall goals of the WTO. Should these efforts have succeeded, the MC6 would have made substantial progress towards fulfilling its mandate. Many groups of people are not happy with

795-493: The Exhibition Centre during the conference. The areas around the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre were barricaded from 6pm on 12 December. At least 30 bus routes were diverted when roads to Admiralty and Wan Chai Ferry Pier were blocked. There was suspension of the regular ferry services running between Wan Chai and Hung Hom and between Wan Chai and Tsim Sha Tsui . The MTR spent HK$ 10 million due to

848-574: The FTAA as a long-term goal. The Implementation of a full multilateral FTAA between all parties could be made possible by enlargement of existing agreements. At this point Agreements within the Area of the Americas include: World Trade Organization Ministerial Conference of 2005 The Sixth Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization , also known as the WTO Hong Kong Ministerial Conference and abbreviated as MC6 ,

901-471: The FTAA but they do demand that the agreement provide for the elimination of U.S. agriculture subsidies , the provision of effective access to foreign markets and further consideration towards the needs and sensibilities of its members. One of the most contentious issues of the treaty proposed by the United States is with concerns to patents and copyrights . Critics claim that if the measures proposed by

954-651: The Hong Kong Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization was to have the right of entry to the Northern markets for tropical products, and to defend African markets from profoundly subsidised exports dumped onto their market. On conjugal support, the proposal is for rich countries to cut down their support to home farmers and to slowly but surely phase it out. Africa was requesting cuts in subsidies for produces that are sent abroad and dumped onto African markets. Although WTO members are eager to reach

1007-576: The Hong Kong meeting, aiming for a successful conclusion of the Doha Round in 2006. The declaration of the "MC4 in Doha", named for the Qatari capital ( Doha ) has provided the mandate for negotiations on a number of issues on agriculture, concerning the implementation of the agreements which had to be completed in 2000 originally. However, the declaration set 1 January 2005 as the deadline for completing all but two of

1060-440: The MC6. Fuji Xerox, a transnational company, will be the conference's sole printing service provider. The company is trying to move fast-copying machines, which can handle hundreds of pages per minute, from its Asia-Pacific regional offices to Hong Kong for temporary use. It is also said that 6 million sheets of paper, enough to cover 93 standard soccer pitches, may be consumed during the conference. BMW sponsored 280 cars for

1113-531: The Ministerial meetings at Seattle and Cancún failed. It was not easy to tell if the MC6 could reach any final agreement. The Commonwealth of Nations is an association of 53 countries. Its 1.8 billion citizens, about 30 per cent of the world's population are drawn from a broad range of faiths, races, cultures and traditions. In the recent Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Malta , on 25–27 November 2005,

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1166-745: The SPCA (HK), Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Hong Kong), was closed from 13 December - 18. Most animals were relocated to other centres. All glass windows and doors were pinned with wooden boards. Around 3,000 journalists around the world were attracted by the MC6. The Radio Television Hong Kong has also been appointed as the official conference broadcaster of the Hong Kong Ministerial Conference to provide live TV coverage of public sessions. It will also provide facilities for recordings and simple editing by booking. A Press Centre with infrastructure and technology will be provided service to members of

1219-442: The United States had pushed for a single comprehensive agreement to reduce trade barriers for goods, while increasing intellectual property protection. Specific intellectual property protections could include Digital Millennium Copyright Act style copyright protections similar to the U.S.-Australia Free Trade Agreement . Another protection would likely have restricted the importation or cross importation of pharmaceuticals, similar to

1272-537: The United States were implemented and applied this would reduce scientific research in Latin America. On the Council of Canadians web site, Barlow wrote: "This agreement sets enforceable global rules on patents, copyrights and trademark. It has gone far beyond its initial scope of protecting original inventions or cultural products and now permits the practice of patenting plants and animal forms as well as seeds. It promotes

1325-734: The United States, in November 2003 to discuss the proposal. The proposed agreement was an extension of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) between Canada, Mexico, and the United States. Discussions have faltered over similar points as the Doha Development Round of World Trade Organization (WTO) talks; developed nations sought expanded trade in services and increased intellectual property rights, while less developed nations sought an end to agricultural subsidies and free trade in agricultural goods. Similar to

1378-496: The United States; Cancún and Puebla in Mexico; Panama City , Panama; and Port of Spain , Trinidad and Tobago . The U.S. city of Colorado Springs also submitted its candidacy in the early days but subsequently withdrew. Miami, Panama City and Puebla served successively an interim secretariat headquarters during the negotiation process. The last summit was held at Mar del Plata , Argentina, in November 2005, but no agreement on FTA

1431-404: The WTO as they believe it symbolizes the exploitation of poor countries by the developed countries. Thus, there are many protests and demonstrations organised during each WTO conference. Besides, as the number of member countries in WTO is large, it is not easy to reach an agreement which gets the consensus of the participating countries. Therefore, the last two Ministerial Conferences which included

1484-576: The WTO meeting and fares were not be deducted as what it was suggested from a legislative councilor. It carried out measures including bypassing stations, temporarily closing entrance gates and changing exits as entrance or entrance as exits in Admiralty , Wan Chai and Causeway Bay stations during the Conference. To help divert road traffic from Wan Chai, Causeway Bay and the Cross-Harbour Tunnel ,

1537-624: The WTO talks, Brazil took a leadership role among the less developed nations, while the United States took a similar role for the developed nations. Discussions about the Free Trade Area of the Americas began at the first Summit of the Americas in Miami on December 11, 1994. The FTAA came to public attention during the third summit , held in Quebec City in 2001, as the meeting was targeted by large anti-corporatization and anti-globalization protests. The Miami negotiations in 2003 met similar protests, though not as large. In previous negotiations,

1590-621: The activities the police force has ever been involved in. Officers underwent riot control and shield training. Some of them were sent to observe security arrangements for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum summit in Pusan , South Korea. The Commissioner of Police, Dick Lee provided reassurances that weapons such as water cannons and plastic bullets would not be used. Given the police's experience in dealing with previous riots, such as those involving Vietnamese refugees in

1643-571: The agreements. The Doha round aims to cut trade barriers across a wide range of sectors and is supposed to address the needs of developing countries , for whom agriculture is a particularly sensitive topic. Developing countries say farm trade needs to be tackled first because it is so important to their economies and because it is heavily protected in many rich countries. The 25-nation European Union, in particular, has been under fire for not making further cuts to its farm tariffs and subsidies . A series of meetings between ministers has failed to break

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1696-489: The airport, help with the accreditation application and carry out clerical work. Those volunteers include students, civil servants professionals such as lawyers and retired people. Hong Kong seemed to have met its most chaotic week during the Conference. Most schools in Wan Chai and some schools in Causeway Bay and Happy Valley were suspended during the Conference. All shops and firms in Wan Chai were forced to close early on

1749-404: The committee were established. Their tasks covered the following areas: to ensure the success of the event. During the MC6, a closed area covering the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre and its linking footbridges, Tamar site , Wan Chai ferry pier , Convention Drive, Expo Drive and the podium adjacent to Grand Hyatt Hotel was set up. In terms of geographic coverage, the closed area

1802-590: The country member representatives and WTO senior staff. John Tsang , then Hong Kong 's Secretary for Commerce, Industry and Technology and chair of the conference, observed that the conference had been "hard work for everybody involved, especially for [participating] ministers", who had taken part in "more than 100 grueling hours" of talks. The conference approved a ministerial declaration which many participants described as marking "significant progress", Tsang considered it "a modest triumph", noting as important achievements: The WTO Hong Kong Ministerial Conference

1855-446: The deadlock. The EU says equal attention needs to be paid to manufactured goods, which far outweigh agriculture's importance in global trade. At the 2003 Ministerial Conference , it was expected all members would reach consensus on how to complete the remaining agreements. However, the meeting got stuck because of discord created by agricultural issues and ended in deadlock on the " Singapore issues ". The original 1 January 2005 deadline

1908-439: The demonstrators. Almost 1000 demonstrators have been detained. The police force formed nine working groups responsible for different aspects of the conference, drawing manpower from all over the force. The working groups included: logistics; traffic management; manpower and procurement; public relations; command and control; IT and communications; public order; security; and tactics and training. To stop protesters, fences around

1961-520: The first group to be granted an approval from the Hong Kong Police Force, staged three demonstrations on 11 December 13 and 18 December. There were approximately 7,000 - 10,000 protesters. The Alliance sent about 500 helpers to maintain the order. Ten representatives from the Korean Peasants League and the Korean Women's Peasants Association, on an inspection trip to prepare for the arrival of

2014-671: The government reached an agreement with the two other tunnel operators, Western Harbour Crossing and Eastern Harbour Crossing , to offer toll discounts of 14% to 25% for private cars, taxi and goods vehicles between 13 and 18 December 2005. During the Conference there were 80 hotlines (Telephone No. 1834567) operated by the Transport Department for the public to inquire about the updated transport condition. The Special administrative region government recruited 488 volunteers through two organizations (Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups and Agency for Volunteer Service) to serve guests in

2067-425: The ground in Wan Chai also glued together to prevent protesters from digging them up. Nets were placed around footbridges in Wan Chai and Causeway Bay to prevent objects from being thrown onto the roads. The seven commercial buildings around the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre , for the first time, formed a security network, under which their closed-circuit television systems were linked together during

2120-428: The group issued its Valletta Statement on Multilateral Trade calling on "all developed countries to demonstrate the political courage and will to give more than they receive." The Commonwealth has also acknowledged that "Agriculture is the most distorted sector of world trade" and has put renewed pressure on the European Union to commit to a time-table to reduce agricultural subsidies. The main concern of Africa in

2173-517: The next few years, some governments, most notably the United States, not wanting to lose any chance of hemispheric trade expansion moved in the direction of establishing a series of bilateral trade deals. The leaders planned further discussions at the 6th Summit of the Americas in Cartagena, Colombia in 2012, but these discussions did not take place. As of 2022, U.S. trade policy neglected Latin America in favor of competition with China after failure of

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2226-501: The opening night due to fear of injury. Some people were stuck barricaded in their own office overnight because of late notification of evacuation. The highway that crosses through Wan Chai was barricaded, and much traffic was detoured. All public transportation, including the MTR, had to skip stopping at the stations of the affected areas. Through the news broadcast on television and radio, the Hong Kong Police Force advised people who were still in

2279-702: The period of the conference. Considering the possibility of fire, the Fire Services Department increased the number of officers in the Harbour Road, Wan Chai and Causeway Bay fire stations. The Director of the Hong Kong Fire Services, Anthony Lam , said the current fire equipment of the department would be able to cope as the temperature of general indoor fires is much higher. St. John Ambulance sent 1,200 people to provide medical aid support. The Auxiliary Medical Services stationed in areas near

2332-419: The press. It will provide computer facilities for concurrent users through desktop workstations, LAN ports, modem ports, and wireless LAN access. In addition, easy access to printers, telephone, fax lines and photocopiers will also be offered. During the proceeding of the conference, the anti-WTO demonstrations and the resulting confrontation with the Hong Kong Police Force consistently received wider coverage by

2385-481: The private rights of corporations over local communities and their genetic heritage and traditional medicines". On the weekend of April 20, 2001, the 3rd Summit of the Americas was a summit held in Quebec City , Canada. This international meeting was a round of negotiations regarding a proposed FTAA. There are currently 34 countries in the Western Hemisphere, stretching from Canada to Chile that still have

2438-583: The proposed agreement between the United States and Canada. Brazil posed a three-track approach that called for a series of bilateral agreements to reduce specific tariffs on goods, a hemispheric pact on rules of origin , and a dispute resolution process Brazil proposed to omit the more controversial issues from the FTA, leaving them to the WTO. The location of the FTA Secretariat was to have been determined in 2005. The contending cities were: Atlanta , Chicago , Galveston , Houston , San Juan , and Miami in

2491-448: The streets near the affected areas to either immediately go home or stay in covered areas until after the demonstration congregation cleared up. The Hong Kong Police Force suggested three criteria for shopkeepers in the affected areas for safety assessment. The criteria included business nature, geographical location, and international position (for instance, whether the shops belong to transnational corporations). The Wan Chai headquarters of

2544-588: The two local television stations ( TVB and ATV ) and the press than the progress of the conference itself. The MC6 will cost the SAR government HK$ 250 million. The items in the budget include: The Hong Kong government was the major sponsor of the WTO MC6 conference, using public money to pay for TV, radio, newspaper and brochure ads. Apart from the government support, a total of HK$ 50 million of sponsorship from business sector has been another source of funding for

2597-698: Was about one square kilometre. The closure was on a 24-hour-a-day basis from 6pm on 12 December to 5 a.m. on 19 December 2005. An executive order was made by the Chief Executive under section 36 of the Public Order Ordinance (POO) (Cap. 245) to turn these places into a closed area. Under the order, the Commissioner of Police may grant permission to individuals to enter or leave the closed area. Holders of accreditation badges, including MC6 delegates, local and overseas journalists, representatives of non-governmental organisations, support staff, staff and tenants of

2650-721: Was held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre , Wan Chai , Hong Kong from 13 to 18 December 2005. Representatives from 148 countries were expected to attend the event, as well as over 10,000 protesters led by the Hong Kong People’s Alliance on WTO and made up of largely South Korean farmers. The conference approved a declaration which many participants described as marking "significant progress". However, due to violent protesters, police officers were deployed with batons, riot gas, and other non-lethal weapons. Around 910 people were arrested. Of these, 14 were charged, but none were convicted. The Ministerial Conference

2703-403: Was missed. After that, members aimed at finishing the negotiations by the end of 2006. The shelved Doha development agenda was therefore carried over to the Hong Kong conference. That is why speculation on the chances of success of the MC6 had been rife in the months leading up to the conference in Hong Kong. The WTO attempted to facilitate dialogue between developing and developed countries. It

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2756-537: Was one of the largest international events ever held in Hong Kong. There were about 11,000 participants. Apart from the 148 WTO members, 1000 non-governmental organisations (NGOs) also took part in the meeting. The Korean Peasants League (KPL), whose members are South Korean farmers, were among the 1000 NGOs. The KPL was involved in demonstrations in 2003 MC5 in Cancún. During the MC5, protesters were kept behind fences far away from

2809-548: Was reached. Of the 39 countries present at the negotiations, 20 pledged to meet again in 2006 to resume negotiations, but no meeting took place. The failure of the Mar del Plata summit to establish a comprehensive FTA agenda augured poorly. The FTAA missed the targeted deadline of 2005, which followed the stalling of useful negotiations of the World Trade Organization Ministerial Conference of 2005 . Over

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