At the talks in Dalian's exclusive Bangchuidao Hotel, Chinese Trade Minister Bo Xilai, host of both meetings, urged the G20 countries to fulfill their role in defending the interests of developing nations.

"As host of the (WTO) mini-ministerial meeting, China's goal is to create points of discussion for the meeting in Geneva at the end of July and create the conditions for success at the WTO ministerial summit in Hong Kong in December," Bo said.

"The G20 is already an indispenable and important participant in the Doha Round of multilateral talks and plays an important role in advancing the interests of the developing nations."

The World Trade Organization (WTO) meeting, which officially opens Tuesday afternoon with discussions on agricultural trade, is the highest-level WTO gathering to be held in China since it joined the world body in 2001.

The talks opened under tight security in the aftermath of the bomb attacks in London last week that coincided with the summit of the G8 industrialized nations in Scotland.

Some 32 trade ministers are set to take part in the Dalian meeting out of the WTO's full membership of 148.

The Doha Round of talks, launched in the Qatari capital in 2001, aims to expand free trade in a way that benefits poor nations.

However, developing countries have balked at the control of the global trading system by developed nations and particularly have cited trade distorting agricultural subsidies as a major obstacle towards progress.

"We are prepared to bind our agriculture reforms into a global deal as long as others match our ambition," EU Agricultural Commissioner Fisher Boel said ahead of Tuesday's meeting.

"All WTO members must play their part and there must be equal progress in all areas of the negotiations."

Last week at the G8 in Gleneagles, the United States and the EU pledged to get rid of trade-distorting agricultural export subsidies but did not specify when or how.

The EU and the US are broadly hoping that developing countries will offer concessions on trade in services and industrial goods in exchange for an end to their agricultural subsidies.

The EU and China late Monday agreed to work together to push forward liberalization talks, with both sides expressing hope that the glaring gap between developed and developing nations can be overcome.

EU trade chief Peter Mandelson urged China to use its clout at the two-day mini-ministerial and push forward the Doha Round to a successful conclusion.

"When one person can move on an issue it is difficult; when others move on other issues at the same time it makes everyone's task easier," Mandelson said following talks with Bo.

"And that's what I hope will happen. I think (Bo Xilai) has considerable power of personality."

Mandelson also urged the trade ministers to move the talks toward a successful conclusion.

"Before the summer break we need to make tangible progress in agriculture, on both market access and domestic and export subsidies, and in agreeing on the broad level of ambition we are aiming for in lowering tariffs on manufacturers," he said.

The members meeting in Dalian are: Argentina, Australia, Bangladesh, Barbados, Benin, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Egypt, the EU, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Jamaica, Japan, Kenya, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, Rwanda, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Switzerland, Thailand, the US and Zambia.

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