China will work "actively" and "constructively" at the 5th ministerial meeting of the World Trade Organization (WTO), head of the Chinese delegation said in Cancun, Mexico Tuesday.

Upon his arrival at the seaside resort of Mexico where the meeting will be held on September 10-14, China's Minister of Commerce Lu Fuyuan told Xinhua that China will work vigorously to help push forward the Doha Round of multilateral trade talks.

"Although the disputes and difficulties are big, China will do its best and hope the conference will bear some results," Lu said.

This is the first time China attends a WTO ministerial conference in the capacity of a full member since it joined the world trade body in December 2001.

The Chinese delegation consists of about 50 delegates mainly from the Ministry of Commerce, the Ministry of Agriculture, the General Administration of Customs, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the State Development and Reform Commission.

The Doha Round of trade talks, launched in Doha, Qatar, 2001, was scheduled to complete by January 1, 2005. But sharp disagreement has made the talks on all major issues virtually behind schedule.

(Xinhua News Agency September 10, 2003)