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Economics minister to attend WTO review in Geneva
FIRST TRIP:
Ho Mei-yueh will make her first visit to WTO headquarters in June, to give a report on Taiwan's trade required by the global organization
CNA
, TAIPEI
Sunday, Jan 15, 2006, Page 3
Minister of Economic Affairs Ho Mei-yueh (¦ó¬üªµ) said on Friday that she will travel to Geneva in June to deliver a "national report" at a WTO session that will focus on reviewing Taiwan's trade policy and mechanisms.
According to WTO regulations, the world's top four trading powers must be subject to a "Trade Policy Review" biennially while the world's fifth to 20th largest trading powers must undergo a "Trade Policy Review" once every four years.
As the world's 15th largest trading nation, Taiwan will receive the WTO's Trade Policy Review for the first time this year. The review will take place on June 20 and June 22 in Geneva.
Taiwan a formal WTO member in January 2002. China, which joined the WTO slightly earlier than Taiwan, will receive the WTO's Trade Policy Review in April this year.
questioning
Speaking in an interview with CNA, Ho said she will expound on the nation's trade policy at the WTO Trade Policy Review session and take questions from all member states' representatives stationed at the WTO headquarters in Geneva.
It will mark the first time that Ho has ever attended a meeting at WTO headquarters.
According to officials from the Ministry of Economic Affairs, the country subject to the Trade Policy Review must prepare a 25-page report on its trade policy. The WTO Secretariat is also required to come up with a 100-page report on that country's trade policy and mechanisms.
WTO Secretariat staff members traveled to Taiwan in February and October last year to visit relevant government agencies and corporate bodies as part of their efforts to better understand Taiwan's trade policies and mechanisms. The WTO Secretariat is scheduled to finalize its report in March or April.
reference report
Both the WTO Secretariat report and the Taiwan-authored report will then be sent to all other WTO member economies for reference. All member states are entitled to come up with questions and suggestions for Taiwan.
According to conclusions reached at the recent WTO ministerial meeting in Hong Kong, member states must present tariff concession formulas and product lists for agricultural items, non agricultural items and services in late April and July, respectively.
Ho if the WTO were to hold a ministerial meeting on those issues, she would attend in person or ask her deputy to attend on her behalf.
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