New Delhi: The Government warned industry of being isolated in the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and overtaken by countries like China if it continued to maintain an attitude of negativism and suspicion rather than effectively engaging in a dialogue and seizing opportunities.

"We need to stop looking at WTO as some sort of a spectre to frighten ourselves. There is an atmosphere of suspicion and discouragement that somebody is out to sell India. If we don't move swiftly enough we will be left behind by others like China," Commerce and Industry Minister Arun Shourie said on December 12.

Addressing a session on WTO organised by Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), Shourie said, India's stand at the WTO over the past decade reveals that "our permanent answer to everything has been 'no'. We have been very creative in articulation but have tried to find fault with everything."

Stating that negotiations in the WTO were all about give and take, Shourie said, if the industry was in favour of taking a strong stand on a particular issue, it should be prepared for facing consequences of action by developed countries like the United States (US) and the European Union (EU) in other areas.

"There is no doubt in my mind that we have been continuously singled out by the European Union on phyto- sanitary measures due to the stand that we have taken in the international fora over the decade," he added.

Citing the instance of ongoing WTO negotiations in public health, Shourie said, developed countries were trying to whittle down the agreement at Doha by restricting the definition of infectious diseases but if India decides to take a strong stand it must consider if other countries will support its stand".

PTI