The 27-year-old trade body has not reached a major deal among its 164 members in nine years and some observers see the fish talks as the best, and possibly last, chance to do so.
Negotiators have been working in confidential meetings in recent days to come up with a final draft of which there are only 11 undecided areas, down from more than 80 a year ago. Countries spend some $35.4 billion a year supporting their fishing fleets around the world and China is the biggest, according to a 2019 study.
However, India commerce minister Shri Piyush Goyal on Tuesday said a 25-year transition period was a “must have.” “Without agreeing to the 25-year transition period, it will be impossible for us to finalize the negotiations, as policy space is essential for the long-term sustainable growth and prosperity of our low-income fishermen,” he told fellow WTO members.China did not respond to a request for comment on Tuesday.