The Least Developed Countries should be granted exemption of tariffs and quotas immediately and developing countries should also be given flexibility on special products and special safeguard mechanism, Bo Xilai, Chinese Minister of Commerce, said Wednesday in Hong Kong.

"The talks should give developing countries real and tangible benefits to boost their confidence in the Doha Round talks," said Bo, who is heading the Chinese delegation to the Sixth WTO Ministerial Conference in Hong Kong which opened Tuesday.

China supports the idea that the Doha Round talks should reach a balanced agreement, said Bo, pointing to an overall balance which is conducive to the development of developing economies.

"Currently, significant imbalance does exist between developed countries and developing countries and such imbalance has affected the healthy development of the world economy," said Bo.

Bo noted agriculture is the core of the Doha Round and both rich and poor countries face pressures. "But the pressures they face are not the same with each other, "said Bo.

Of the 2.6 billion global farming population, developing countries account for 2.5 billion and most of them are living in poverty.

"If the rural population in poverty is exposed to more negative impacts, disasters could be triggered. By then, rich countries will not be free of trouble either," said Bo.

The farming population in developed countries accounts for no more than 4 percent of the world's total, and the developed countries are rich enough to take good care of their farmers even after eliminating subsidies and lowering tariffs, said Bo.

Source: Xinhua