WTO and Africa: Charity Begins at Home

When the recent WTO ministerial meeting in Hong Kong was being planned, optimists touted it as a triumph for free trade. The fact that it was held in a territory considered a bastion of free trade is itself significant. The Hong Kong authorities were anxious to hold the talks in spite of the failure of the Cancun talks two years ago, in part because Hong Kong is keen to re-affirm its identity as a world city.