A critical time

Developed regions are considering discarding the Doha talks and resorting to alternatives.

Karel De Gucht, the EU commissioner for trade, proposed the drafting of another plan in preparation for the possible failure of the talks, as he believed there was no reason to be optimistic about Doha.

One way to improve the chances of a deal would be to move away from the current approach. The US would favor an approach allowing more ambitious countries to set the pace, according to Punke. However, most WTO members do not agree.

China will continue to make efforts to revive and push forward the Doha negotiations, although the window for success is gradually closing, said Chen.

Chinese experts have called for the talks to be finalized as soon as possible to invigorate the world economy and fend off global trade protectionism.

An acceleration of the negotiations would help the world economy gain confidence and combat trade protectionism, said Ren Jianxin, vice-chairman of the National Committee of Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, the country's top advisory body.

Li Sicong contributed to this story.