WHY Hong Kong?

LONG before any trade minister sets foot in Hong Kong, it has become clear that next week's meeting of the World Trade Organisation will fall depressingly short of its goals. Officially, the gathering is meant to agree on the broad contours of a deal to free trade in farm goods, industrial tariffs and services. Thanks, in particular, to Europe's intransigence over cutting farm tariffs, that will not happen. The ministers may be able to report modest progress (such as a vague promise to accelerate the elimination of cotton subsidies) but the guts of a Doha deal will be delayed yet again. - Economist


On the eve of WTO, I cant help askin WHY?

They are goin to go thru the motions...

According to the World Bank's latest estimates, a likely Doha compromise would modestly raise global income, but would produce scant gains for poor countries and barely dent the number of people living in extreme poverty. Although economic models do not capture all the gains from liberalising trade, there is little doubt that the Doha round is turning out to be less good for the poor than it could be. - Economist

If the rich aint budging... and talks aint gonna help the poor... then WHY?

And in particular... WHY Hong Kong?
Coz only we had relatively trouble free lives?
OR our officials wanted excitement in theirs', having had fiasco-free headlines lately!