US Trade Representative Rob Portman said Monday that he would like to see China more engaged in the Doha round of negotiations.

At a press conference held here Monday, Portman said US and China share a common view on the overall goals in the Doha round talks.

Portman said he hopes next month's WTO trade liberalization talks in Hong Kong will be successful for this "once-in-a-generation opportunity."

"I'm concerned right now that unless we can break this deadlock on agriculture, it will be hard to make progress on all the other issues," Portman said.

He said that the three pillars of the Doha round negotiations are export subsidies, domestic support, and market access.

US calls for an aggressive reduction of tariffs from WTO members, rapid elimination of export subsidies, and substantial reductions in trade-distorting domestic support.

Portman predicted that it would be hard to get through issues concerning agriculture reform, but said that the US was willing to negotiate and reach a consensus.

Developed countries' high agriculture tariffs and subsidies, aimed at protecting domestic farmers, are the key point of contention holding up an agreement among World Trade Organization (WTO) members to free up trade, Portman said.

Source: Xinhua