A bipartisan group of 26 US lawmakers on Thursday sent a letter to WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala expressing “serious concern” over Taiwan’s exclusion from a ministerial conference in Cameroon in March.
The letter — signed by US representatives including Ted Lieu, Judy Chu, Ami Bera and Raja Krishnamoorthi — demanded that the WTO Secretariat ensure the incident does not set a precedent for future ministerial conferences.
Taiwan joined the WTO in 2002 as the “Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu,” the letter said.
Photo: Reuters
Since then, WTO members and the Secretariat have recognized Taiwan’s status on equal footing with other participating economies, allowing its delegation full and equal participation in ministerial meetings, it said.
However, despite being a full WTO member, the Taiwanese delegation was forced to apply for visas for the Cameroon conference under the designation “Taiwan, Province of China,” it said.
This implied that Taiwan was not a WTO member in its own right, undermined its privileges and ultimately resulted in its absence from the event, the lawmakers said.
They urged Okonjo-Iweala to clarify how the Secretariat would ensure that this incident does not set a precedent for future meetings.
They also asked whether the Secretariat plans to issue formal guidelines to prevent similar incidents that compromise the rights of member states.
The lawmakers requested a response by June 3 and said they welcome further detailed discussions on the matter.
A copy of the letter was also sent to US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.
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