Although an attempt is made in what follows to present the main issues from the perspective of the Asian region, it must be kept in mind that the new agricultural negotiations in the WTO will have different implications for each of these widely contrasting groups. The WTO membership will collectively determine a negotiating agenda that is likely to reflect both unfinished business from the last round and issues that have grown in prominence since its conclusion. One set of issues could be labeled marketization. Asian countries could support this initiative in order to make their reforms permanent by tying them to the international system. Asian exporters have an interest in phasing out agricultural export subsidies and eliminating or disciplining export credits.
Asian importers have an interest in ensuring continuity of supply.
The interest of importing countries could involve negotiations on the elimination of export taxes or quantitative restrictions on exports. This would reassure importing countries that if they do liberalize their markets and experience a reduction in domestic output, domestic food availability will not be subject to interference by exporters. Lastly on this set of issues, the WTO will have to confront state trading, which affects trade in both agricultural products and manufactures. State trading could increase in importance with the likely future accession of a number of economies in transition. Among current Asian WTO members, India, Japan, the Philippines, and South Korea maintain state trading for some imported agricultural commodities.