WT/MIN(24)/ST/122  
26 February  2024 
(24-1687) Page: 1/3 
Ministerial Conference  
Thirteenth Session  
Abu Dhabi, 26 -29 February 2024  Original: English  
 
STATEMENT BY H.E. MR JOHN CHEN -CHUNG DENG  
MINISTER WITHOUT PORTFOLIO  
SEPARATE CUSTOMS TERRITORY OF TAIWAN , PENGHU , KINMEN AND MATSU 
On behalf of the Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu, it is an honor 
to attend the Thirteenth Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization. As we meet here in 
Abu Dhabi to discuss the future of the WTO, the world is fac ing geopolitical tensions, post -pandemic 
threats to public health, and an impending food crisis brought about by climate change. Along with 
the upcoming elections to be held in countries around the world, this has introduced unprecedented 
risk and uncertai nty into the international trade system.  
 
Though governments and stakeholders have done their best to ensure that trade continues to flow 
unimpeded, it remains weighed down by stagnant economic growth, debt dependence, and high 
inflation. Some Members have  also resorted to economic coercion and other non -market practices 
to further their own interests, threatening the global economy and the security of its supply chains.  
 
As we have done for the last twelve conferences, we gather here today to take on these  challenges 
by facilitating trade in goods and services, raising living standards, ensuring full employment, and 
achieving sustainable development through the strengthening of the world trade order. Building on 
MC12 's "Geneva Package, " let us be guided by the spirit of the Marrakesh Agreement on which the 
WTO was founded, and work together to lead the world economy towards a more inclusive, resilient, 
and sustainable future.  
 
I.  OUR CONTRIBUTIONS TO WORLD TRADE  
2024 marks the 22nd year since the Separate C ustoms Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and 
Matsu acceded to the WTO, during which time we have continued to maintain an open market while 
respecting international trade rules and making significant contributions to the development of the 
global economy . In fact, since the first two years of our accession in 2001 and 2002, our total foreign 
trade has more than tripled from 487.1 billion to 1.6918 trillion USD, underscoring our close -knit 
integration into the global trading system. Since joining the WTO, we have also accelerated the pace 
of economic liberalization and restructured our economy to enhance the competitiveness of our 
industries.  
 
In addition, as a reliable trade partner and dependable supplier, we have helped other Members 
strengthen their su pply chain resilience and security. With a production value of more than 
150 billion USD in 2022, our semiconductor industry, for example, continues to play a crucial role in 
the global supply chain, occupying around 70% of the world 's market share of adva nced process 
semiconductors. And during the COVID -19 pandemic, we made an all -out effort to produce enough 
semiconductors to maintain supply chain stability in the automotive and computer industries.  
 
Just as other Members have focused on supply chain resi lience and security while helping businesses 
diversity their trade and investment risk, we have promoted the global expansion of our enterprises 
while introducing the New Southbound Policy to promote investment in ASEAN nations. Our mature 
semiconductor, I CT, and medical biotech industries have also made us an indispensable supplier of 
new technologies, which will be essential for helping Members respond to climate change and 
facilitate their transition to a digital and green economy while ensuring that we play an important 
role in realizing the benefits of artificial intelligence.  WT/MIN(24)/ST/122  
 
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Recognizing the importance of inclusiveness to economic and trade development, we have made a 
concerted effort to prevent the marginalization of MSMEs, women, Indigenous peoples, and other 
underrepresented groups, thereby unlocking their economic potential. In 2022, for example, we 
joined New Zealand, Canada, and Australia in establishing the Indigenous Peoples Economic and 
Trade Cooperation Arrangement (IPETCA) , and the financial resources we have made available to 
our Aboriginal enterprises have allowed their number to double over the past seven years.  
 
With respect to gender equality, we have the highest ratio of female legislators – 41.6% – in all of 
Asia, wi th women accounting for more than 50% of all mayors. And in the private sector, companies 
led by women currently account for 31.9% of all enterprises. Recognizing the importance of MSME 
support for carbon reduction, we have also established a five -year pla n to invest 3 billion USD into 
facilitating the digital and green transition of our more than 1.6 million MSMEs.  
 
We look forward to working together to combat climate change and promote inclusiveness at the 
WTO, and have already developed concrete plans t o leverage our mature ICT industry to help narrow 
the digital divide through capacity building and other measures, thereby ensuring that all Members 
are in a position to benefit from the digital economy.  
 
In addition to promoting the growth of world trade and strengthening the resilience and inclusiveness 
of global supply chains, we have also actively engaged with other Members to meet global trade 
demands by establishing more robust trade rules relevant to our businesses.  
 
Signed in June of last year, the  first agreement under the U.S. -Taiwan Initiative on 21st Century 
Trade, for example, establishes rigorous rules on five topics of importance to the global trade 
community, including customs administration and trade facilitation, good regulatory practices,  
domestic regulations in the service industry, anti -corruption, and MSMEs.  
 
Last November, we also signed an Enhanced Trade Partnership (ETP) Arrangement with the 
United  Kingdom, which establishes a mechanism for further negotiations over the three key are as 
of digital trade, investment, and energy and net -zero. And in December, we signed the Foreign 
Investment Promotion and Protection Arrangement with Canada, which incorporates rules related to 
social responsibility, environmental protection, and governanc e goals into an economic and trade 
framework characterized by inclusiveness, sustainability, and accountability.  
 
At the same time, we have continued our efforts to join the Comprehensive and Progressive 
Agreement for Trans -Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) by r evising our laws and regulations to comply with 
the pact 's high -standard rules and demonstrating our commitment to maintaining a transparent, 
fair, and inclusive market economy.  
 
We look forward to further engaging in economic and trade cooperation with ot her Members in the 
future, and aspire to join more regional economic organizations so as to contribute to the 
development of a freer, fairer, and more inclusive world trade regime.  
 
II.  THOUGHTS ON THE MC13 AGENDA  
This year 's gathering of ministers comes at a pivotal time for the WTO and the global community, 
as it struggles with a number of new and emerging issues which the rule -based system established 
under the Marrakesh Agreement is not always equipped to handle. As a result, we consider WTO 
reform to be one of the most important goals of this MC13, and would like to take this opportunity 
to share our thoughts on the proposed agenda.  
 
For industrial subsidies, we think Members should focus on strengthening the terms of the relevant 
agreements rather than loosening them. Over the past few years, we have also noted that the 
tendency of some governments, and non -market economies in particular, to abuse subsidies has led 
to overcapacity in several sectors, including steel, solar panels, and petroch emicals, and believe that 
these unfair trade practices must be addressed in any future discussions on the topic.  
 
Recent reports by the IMF, World Bank, OECD, and WTO further indicate that some Members have 
been less than transparent about the subsidies th ey have adopted with respect to individual 
industries, which is why we would like to reach a consensus on the issue of transparency before 
delving into detailed discussions on the subsidies themselves.  WT/MIN(24)/ST/122  
 
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In addition to enhancing transparency, we should also  clearly distinguish subsidies that could be 
construed as beneficial to economic development, such as incentives to encourage technological 
research, development, and innovation, from those which have the potential to distort trade and 
lead to unfair compe tition by propping up domestic industries.  
 
If the widespread use of unfair subsidies continues unabated, it will erode confidence in the global 
free trade regime and weaken the rule -based system for all Members. We therefore intend to work 
together with o ther Members to raise a proposal to address it at MC14.  
 
On trade and the environment, we believe in the importance of environmental protection, provided 
that such protection is not used as an excuse to engage in unfair trade practices and that all 
measures are in line with existing WTO rules. As such, we look forward to discussing recent 
environmental protection measures that Members have adopted unilaterally, and hope to have an 
opportunity to weigh in on the EU 's carbon border adjustment mechanism  (CBAM) in particular.  
 
With respect to the Agreement on Fishery Subsidies, we attach great importance to the sustainable 
development of fishery resources and are committed to adopting policies geared toward controlling 
the import of illegal, unreported an d unregulated (IUU) fish and fishery products. At the same time, 
however, we think that the volume of marine capture production should be accounted for in the 
Agreement. This will ensure that the conservation of fishery resources is effective and fair, whi le 
allowing Members with larger catch volumes to be subject to the rules as well.  
 
On dispute settlement reform, we consider the WTO dispute settlement mechanism to be 
indispensable for maintaining the global trade order, and hope that these discussions wi ll yield 
concrete results by the end of the year so that the mechanism can once again function smoothly 
and effectively. We also would like to see a system in place for Members to engage in formal 
consultations, and for the findings of panel reports to be appealed so that they can be enforced 
going forward.  
 
We further note the ongoing discussions on such important issues as the scope of the 
Appellate  Body's authority, the threshold for appeals, and the standard of review, and agree that an 
appropriate bala nce should be reached between "enhancing interim review " and "achieving 
procedural efficiency. " And we have been paying particular attention to the development of new and 
more flexible rules for ADR, and are pleased to see that they have been incorporated into the 
proposed text.  
 
On intellectual property, we maintain that innovative ideas should be protected and respected, and 
welcome the promotion of global economic development and environmental protection through the 
transfer of technology, provided that such transfers are based on mutually agreed -upon commercial 
terms and do not involve the theft of intellectual property.  
 
As for agriculture, we recognize the overriding importance of food security and believe that Members 
should refrain from imposing arbi trary restrictions that may jeopardize the food security of other 
Members. Given the sensitivity of agricultural issues, negotiations should also take into account 
individual Members ' approaches to environmental protection and other non -trade concerns, and  be 
conducted in a transparent and inclusive manner so as to achieve a balanced outcome.  
 
III.  CONCLUSION  
In closing, while we understand that WTO reform is not something that can be achieved overnight 
and that Members ' positions will not always align, wo rking together to focus on areas of mutual 
interest is essential to ensuring that this reform moves forward. Our collective efforts will send a 
strong signal to the world that multilateral economic and trade organizations are still capable of 
improving peo ple's lives by promoting economic prosperity, and we look forward to seizing this 
opportunity to ensure that the WTO remains relevant and effective.  
 
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