ARID IN ABU DHABI

The fruitless WT0 ministerial in the UAE capital showed India's path diverging from South Africa's and its parting of ways with China, while the US ceded leadership

- ASIT RANJAN MISHRA

After the 13th Ministerial Conference (MC13) of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Abu Dhabi failed to deliver a substantial outcome in spite of an extended deadline, European Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis took to microblogging platform X to vent his frustration.

"European Union (EU) engaged intensively on: Fisheries subsidies, agriculture & WTO reform. Agreements were within reach, supported by a big majority, but ultimately blocked by a handful of countries-sometimes just 1," Dombrovskis posted, adding a picture of India's trade minister Piyush Goyal, WTO Director General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, and himself engaged in an animated conversation.

Though a picture is often said to be worth a thousand words, the short note attached to the picture in this instance left no room for speculation regarding whom Dombrovskis held responsible for the failure at MC13.

India has often been the fall guy for assiduously safeguarding development issues at the WTO Ministerials, but it has seen a rapid decline in its coalition partners of developing countries. This is at a time when India has been seeking to position itself as the true voice of the "Global South", a euphemism that represents less the geographical Southern Hemisphere and more the developing world that faces the common challenges of poverty, inequality, and underdevelopment.

"Since the WTO involves hard commercial interests, Global South always doesn't stand together and some fall for inducements," an Indian official involved in the MC13 negotiations said, requesting anonymity.

Ujal Singh Bhatia, India's former Permanent Representative to the WTO said it was important, of course, for India to build partnerships with like minded countries, but the dynamics on the negotiating table did not always reflect the numbers.