Just two days from now - to be precise at 3pm on Tuesday - I will officially declare open the WTO 6th Ministerial Conference at the Convention & Exhibition Centre. The eyes of the world will be on Hong Kong for the five days of this important event, which closes next Sunday.

Why? Let me acknowledge from the start that there is an expectation of rowdy or even violent demonstrations outside the conference venue. That's been the nature of anti-globalisation protests in recent years. And with 10,000 or more local and international protesters here for the conference, Hong Kong can hardly hope to be the exception.

But in fact we expect most of the demonstrators to be peaceful and non-violent. As a free, open and tolerant society, we respect their right to dissent. We have gone to some lengths to ensure their voices will be heard, setting aside designated protest areas near the conference venue in Wan Chai.

For those who come to Hong Kong with mayhem in mind, I will say only this: expressions of dissent must be conducted in a civil manner, and our Police are well-trained and well-equipped to deal with those who simply wish to disrupt or derail the conference using non-peaceful means.

I believe that's what our community would expect of us. And the negotiations taking place inside the conference hall are too important to allow a minority to upset or damage those proceedings.

What will be happening inside the Convention & Exhibition Centre? Well, for one thing, it will be the first WTO Ministerial Conference at which both accredited delegates, media representatives and representatives of non-governmental organisations will be housed under the same roof, albeit a rather large one.

Hong Kong way

This is Hong Kong's way of acknowledging the WTO's culture of inclusiveness. We realise that globalisation is not everybody's cup of tea. So the more WTO delegates hear alternative views, the more likely they are to come to rounded agreements capable of attracting broad support or, at least, greater understanding.

The week's conference is the last great milestone of the Doha Development Agenda, named after the Qatari capital where this round of international trade negotiations was launched four years ago. Its ambition is to bring down the remaining great barriers and subsidies in world trade, most particularly in agriculture.

This means especially the rich agriculture economies like the US and the European Union where tariffs and subsidies make it impossible for poorer countries to gain access with their own agricultural products and to compete on a level playing field in the international market.

Most of the least developed economies rely on farming for their exports. Some rely on a single agricultural product, such as cotton, bananas or sugar.

Negotiations on agriculture have more or less stalled. But this is typical of international trade negotiations where deals are not made until the chips are well and truly down.

Sound Bite City

That means that the air in Hong Kong next week will be rich with claims and counter claims. People will be talking up their own offers and talking down those of their negotiating partners. Journalists will be bombarded with briefings and backgrounders. For five days of this conference, Hong Kong will become Sound Bite City.

As delegates rush from one negotiating session to another, or gather in smoke-free rooms set aside for horse-trading, the atmosphere will run the gamut of emotions from elation to despair.

I am not predicting how it will all end, except that our conference will not collapse, as previous Ministerials did in Seattle and Cancun. This will be a serious negotiating session, and I am looking for a credible outcome by next Sunday evening.

Turn brinkmanship to statesmanship

Our aim this week is to turn brinkmanship into statesmanship. We need to make enough progress on crucial issues like agriculture, non-agriculture market access, services, rules and development issues for the round to enter the short timeframe remaining in the first quarter of next year so that we can complete the round by the end of 2006.

That's a tough ask, but I think it's doable. As host and chair of the conference, I'll be doing all I can, working as an honest broker with the other members, to make it happen. It's important for the continuing growth of world trade. More to the point, the Doha Round represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to lift some of the world's poorest people out of poverty.

The World Bank estimates that a successful Round could add US$300 billion to the world economy annually over the next decade. It could also help 140 million of the world's poorest people who live on less than US$2 a day rise above their pitiful existence.

So the stakes are high.

I have always placed the greatest emphasis on development issues. For the least developed countries, I have championed a package of issues, including tariff- and quota-free market access, a guarantee of cheap drugs, et cetera. If we could wrap up such a package next week, we could start implementing it before the conclusion of the round next year. That would be a real step forward for a lot of poor people.

Stage set for negotiations

The stage is now set for this very important conference. As a bastion of free trade, Hong Kong is an ideal setting. We want to show the world the kind of benefits that free trade can accrue to any community that practices it. We also want to demonstrate our competence as a world city in handling the challenges that may emerge either inside or outside the negotiating venue.

We know that there will be inconveniences, and for this we apologise in advance, and ask for patience and understanding from our remarkable community. We will do our best to keep them to a minimum.

Hong Kong has thrived and prospered on free trade. This next week is our chance to discharge our responsibilities as a world citizen and support the case for trade liberalisation from which we have so manifestly benefited.

Secretary for Commerce, Industry & Technology John Tsang broadcast this address on RTHK's Letter to Hong Kong on December 11.