A number of developing countries including China, Vietnam and the Philippines yesterday called for a restart of the Doha Round of trade talks to ease the tension brought by recent fluctuations in the world economy.

"The Doha Round is now at a critical juncture ... a failure of it will exacerbate the global economic downturn and give rise to a proliferation of trade protectionism," Qiu Hong, China's assistant minister of commerce, told a panel discussion of the 5th Asia-Europe Parliamentary Partnership Meeting in Beijing. It is the first time China has held the biennial meeting since 1996 to boost understanding among peoples.

The world economy is facing new challenges, such as the overall growth slowdown, the volatile dollar, and food and energy price rises, Qiu said.