Based on the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation list of 54 environmental goods specified January 2014 in Davos, Switzerland, this round of negotiations will follow through on the 14 members’ commitment to reduce tariffs on green products by 2015.
One of the most concrete, immediate contributions that the WTO and its members can make to protect the planet is to seek agreement on eliminating tariffs for goods safeguarding the environment and addressing climate change, the participants said.
Aiming to achieve global free trade in environmental goods, 14 WTO members, including Taiwan, have pledged to advance the shared goal. Other members are Australia, Canada, Costa Rica, the EU, Hong Kong, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, South Korea, Switzerland, the U.S. and mainland China.
The first round of talks, which kicked off this week, centers on technical details, such as the mechanism, organization and schedule of negotiations, as well as participation of new members and planning for future rounds.
The current members anticipate an EGA structure that will strengthen the rules-based multilateral trading system and benefit all WTO members. They hope the agreement will eventually involve all major traders and apply the most favored nation principle as well.
The MOEA expects substantial growth in Taiwan’s export of environmental goods on the back of the EGA. Of the 54 products specified in the list, the majority are electronic equipment, mechanical components and optical devices.
The ministry will maintain close communications with Taiwan’s industrial sector in the course of negotiations to help create favorable tariff reductions for local manufacturers. (YHC-SDH)
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