The legislature endorsed the WTO’s decision to admit Taiwan to the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA) yesterday, paving the way for Taiwan’s formal accession as the 41st signatory of the accord.
With the legislature’s endorsement, the Cabinet is expected to submit the paperwork to President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) for signing, after which the document will be sent to the WTO.
The WTO Committee on Government Procurement formally approved Taiwan’s application to enter the GPA on Dec. 9.
Taiwan is required to send the paperwork to the WTO Secretariat within six months to complete the accession procedure. The agreement will enter into force on the 30th day following the date of Taiwan’s accession.
The legislature also adopted a rider demanding that Taiwan’s WTO permanent mission express the country’s opposition to a resolution adopted in 2006 by the WTO Committee on Government Procurement.
The resolution says: “None of the nomenclature or other terminology used [in the decision of accession to the GPA] have implications for sovereignty.”
In the accession agreement, Taiwan listed the names of the central government’s Cabinet-level bodies and the Presidential Office as the entities “which procure in accordance with the provisions” of the agreement.
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