Taiwan will participate in the World Trade Organization’s Eighth Ministerial Conference in order to strengthen trade relations with other nations and promote the cause of free trade, according to the Ministry of Economic Affairs Dec. 15.
MOEA Minister Shih Yen-shiang will represent Taiwan at the conference, scheduled to take place in Geneva between Dec. 15 and 17, the ministry said.
It added that Shih will deliver a three-minute speech at the plenary session Dec. 16.
On behalf of the WTO’s 14 Recently Acceded Members, Shih will also welcome Montenegro, Russia and Samoa to the international trading organization.
According to the WTO, during the upcoming round of meetings “three working sessions will take place with the following themes: ‘Importance of the Multilateral Trading System and the WTO,’ ‘Trade and Development’ and ‘Doha Development Agenda.’”
Taiwan joined the WTO in 2002. To celebrate its 10-year accession, Taiwan has made a commitment to contribute US$200,000 to the Doha Development Agenda Global Trust Fund and another US$80,000 to the Standards and Trade Development Facility in 2012, MOEA officials said.
In related news, the MOEA said the government has concluded talks with Laos to reduce customs duties on 237 agricultural and industrial goods.
A formal agreement between the two nations will be signed during this week’s WTO meetings by Cho Shih-chao, director-general of the MOEA Bureau of Foreign Trade, and Khemmani Pholsena, Lao vice minister of Industry and Commerce, according to the MOEA. (HZW)
Write to Aaron Hsu at pj1210meister@mail.gio.gov.tw