WT/TPR/OV/M/ 18 
27 January  2021 
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Trade Policy Review Body   
 
  
OVERVIEW OF DEVELOPMENTS IN THE  
INTERNATIONAL TRADING ENVIRONMENT  
MINUTES  OF THE MEETING  
11 December 2020  
Chairperson: H.E. Mr. Harald Aspelund (Iceland ) 
INTRODUCTORY REMARKS BY THE CHAIRPERSON  
1. Good afternoon and welcome to this meeting of the TPRB, which was convened by Airgram 
WTO/AIR/TPR/102 on 13 November 2020.  
2. The purpose of this meeting is for Members and Observers of the Trade Policy Review Body 
to undertake their annual overview of develo pments in the international trading environment which 
are having an impact on the multilateral trading system, as provided for in Paragraph G of Annex 3 
of the Marrakesh Agreement.  
3. As mentioned in the Airgram, today's discussion is assisted by the Directo r-General's Annual 
Report which provides a comprehensive "tour d'horizon" of the overall state of global trade, of 
significant developments in the implementation of trade policies by WTO Members and Observers, 
and an up -date on several trade policy issues affecting the trading system for the period between 
mid-October 2019 and mid -October 2020. And this means, of course, that the COVID -19 pandemic 
is covered extensively in this Report.  
4. The Report was circulated in document WT/TPR/OV/23 on 30 November in Eng lish. In 
accordance with the Rules of Procedure for meetings of the TPRB, the Report was issued as an 
unrestricted document.  
5. At the outset, let me briefly recall the purpose of the Trade Policy Review Mechanism, which 
according to Annex 3 of the Marrakesh  Agreement, is to achieve greater transparency in, and 
understanding of, Members' trade and trade -related policies and measures. The TPRM is not intended 
to serve as a basis for the enforcement of obligations under WTO Agreements, for dispute -settlement 
purposes or to impose new policy commitments on Members.  
6. These same fundamental principles apply to the periodic reports by the Director -General - 
such as the  Annual Report presented today.  The trade monitoring exercise is, above all, a 
transparency exercise . It is intended to be purely factual and has no legal effect on the rights and 
obligations of WTO Members. It is without prejudice to Members' negotiating positions and has no 
legal implication with respect to the conformity of any measure noted in the Re port with any WTO 
Agreement or any provision thereof.  
7. As you know, the preparation of these Reports relies on Members’ timely and specific inputs 
to the trade monitoring exercise as well on their notifications under the various WTO Agreements. 
For the current Report, 62% of the membership provided input, representing around 97% of world 
trade.  WT/TPR/OV/M/ 18 
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  8. I do not wish to enter into great detail about the substantive findings of the Director -General's 
Report as I will shortly invite Deputy Director -General Agah to present the Report and share his 
views. However, allow me nevertheless to make a few observations.  
9. Above all, it is difficult to imagine a timelier Report. Its assessment of trends in world trade 
and trade policy making provides important substantive cont ext at a time when uncertainty about 
the global economy remains high. Although world trade had been slowing before the outbreak of the 
pandemic, the human, social and economic problems in its wake have combined to see goods and 
services exports slump in dr amatic fashion.  
10. The Report before us today provides a concise and sobering overview of developments over 
the past 12 months. And in doing so, it presents a very different picture compared to the last report 
which we reviewed together in July. While the Jul y Report captured only the very early effects of the 
COVID -19 pandemic, this Trade Monitoring Report reflects more fully the impact the global health 
crisis has had on trade and trade policy.  
11. I am sure DDG Agah will cover this in his remarks, but I believe  the findings of the Report, 
while sobering and worrying on an overall level, also offer some insight into or glimpses of the path 
towards a sustainable recovery. While the immediate period after the outbreak of the COVID -19 
pandemic saw Members implement many measures which restricted the flow of trade, today we see 
a different and much more positive picture. For example, of the 355 COVID -19 trade related 
measures recorded since the outbreak of the pandemic, 58% were of a trade -facilitating nature and 
42% were trade restrictive. I believe Members have shown a broad commitment to providing 
transparency on these measures and to sharing that with the Secretariat.  
12. The Report also provides an important transparency platform with respect to the number of 
COVID -19 related support measures implemented by Members. These emergency support measures 
remain central to governments’ strategies to address the pandemic -induced economic downturn and 
to prepare the ground for a sustainable recovery. And I would say, certainly in the case of my own 
delegation, that having the Secretariat facilitate transparency on these measures, has been a 
welcome and useful piece of assistance.  
13. Now, let me give the floor to DDG Agah to introduce this Report. Subsequently, I will open 
the floor  for comments from delegations.  
INTRODUCTORY REMARKS BY THE DEPUTY DIRECTOR -GENERAL  AGAH  
Introduction  
14. I am very pleased, on behalf of my colleague DDGs, to join this meeting today. We are here 
to take stock of the major developments in the international tr ading system over the past 12 months.  
15. You will have seen the DG's Annual Report on developments in the international trading 
environment, which was circul ated to Members on 30 November.  As always, this Report is issued 
under the Director's General sole res ponsibility.  
16. The Report before you today covers new trade and trade -related measures implemented by 
WTO Members between 16 October 2019 and 15 October 2020. It was prepared against the dramatic 
backdrop of the COVID -19 pandemic, including the human, social  and economic problems that have 
been left in its wake. As such, it fully reflects the impact the global health crisis has had on trade up 
until mid -October this year.  
17. The Report outlines several important trends and developments in global trade policy -making 
and provides an overall assessment of the main trends observed over this period. It also presents a 
comprehensive account of the state of notifications by WTO Members.  
18. In a nutshell, the Report aims to offer a horizontal, objective and fact -based view  of 
developments across the international trade landscape over the past 12 months. The Chair alluded 
to this in his introductory remarks, and I wish to reiterate the point that none of the country -specific 
trade measures recorded in this Report are classif ied as protectionist or as WTO -inconsistent, 
illegitimate, unnecessary or arbitrary. This exercise is about transparency, objectivity and facts.  WT/TPR/OV/M/ 18 
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  19. In a moment, I will outline the key findings of the Report. But first, I would like to, as usual, 
provide a bri ef background on the process of preparing this document.  
Report background  
20. Since this exercise started in 2009, it has become an important transparency tool for Members. 
Transparency is essential to everything that we do at the WTO. And it is vital to ens ure the 
functioning, stability and predictability of the multilateral trading system.  
21. Transparency reduces uncertainty and fosters trust. Not only is this fundamental on an 
institutional or systemic level, but it matters greatly for policy makers, busines ses and consumers 
and the choices they must make. This exercise, and along with it the Trade Monitoring Reports, 
represents the only horizontal transparency tool in the WTO transparency toolbox.  
22. The information included in the Report reflects inputs submit ted by Members and Observers, 
as well as information from other official and public sources. 101 Members and 5 Observers 
contributed to this overview. This represents 62% of the membership and covers around 97% of 
world imports. This is significantly highe r than the participation rate for the last annual overview, 
which is very encouraging in the current context. I would like to thank all delegations that 
participated in this exercise by providing relevant information on time, especially in light of the 
communication and coordination challenges we have had to contend with in relation to the pandemic.   
23. However, participation in the verification process – a cornerstone of the stakeholder 
relationship between the Secretariat and Members - continues to be uneve n. In several instances 
the Secretariat received only partial responses and often after the deadline. The current context of 
course explains some of this, but considering the importance of this exercise, we must endeavour 
to ensure that it is as accurate, inclusive and comprehensive as possible. The Secretariat remains at 
your service to this end.  
Report findings  
24. Before going on to the main findings of the report, I wish to say a few words about its overall 
context.  
25. As I mentioned earlier, the current Repo rt comes at a time when the world continues to deal 
with the COVID -19 pandemic. This global health crisis continues to have major social and economic 
ramifications, and this is covered extensively in the Report.  
26. Since the outbreak of the pandemic, the WTO Secretariat has continued to, under the trade 
monitoring mandate, monitor and report on the wide range of trade -related measures taken in 
response to the crisis. This Report reflects this effort; and so does the WTO COVID -19 webpage, 
where the latest and m ost updated information on the trade and trade -related measures taken in 
response to the health crisis, including on COVID -19 related notifications can be found. The 
information is provided for transparency purposes only, and to allow for a better global 
understanding of the number and types of measures taken. There is neither the intention, nor the 
ambition to pass judgment on the right of Members to implement any of the measures listed.  
27. So, what does the Report tell us?  
28. Although world trade had already b een slowing before the pandemic, merchandise exports in 
nominal USD terms were down 21% in the second quarter of 2020 compared to the previous year 
while commercial services exports were down 30%. The decline seems to have moderated more 
recently, as illus trated by the latest WTO forecasts.  
29. The Report shows a slowdown in implementing new regular trade and trade -related measures 
on goods by WTO Members over the last 12 months. In fact, 89 new tr ade-restrictive and 88 
trade -facilitating measures were introduced by WTO Members and Observers, which are the lowest 
numbers on record since 2012.  
30. The trade coverage of the regular import -facilitating measures stood at USD 731.3 billion (up 
from USD 544.7 billion in the previous per iod) while that of import restrictions came in at WT/TPR/OV/M/ 18 
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  USD 440.9  billion (down from USD 746.9 billion). This is a positive development. This drop was likely 
a result of the sharp decline in overall global trade flows, the diversion of governments' attention 
towards fighting the pandemic – through trade policy as well as other areas, and a general 
commitment to keep trade flowing.  
31. However, import -restrictive measures continue to accumulate over time. At the end of 2019, 
some 8.7% of world imports ( USD 1.6 trillio n) were affected by all such measures implemented 
since 2009 and still in force. Our estimates for 2020 suggest that the stockpile of import restrictions 
continue to grow and that any roll -back of restrictions is minimal. This should be of concern to all o f 
us. And it should be something that we continue to monitor closely.  
COVID measures  
32. Now, let me say a word about trade and trade -related measures taken in response to the 
COVID -19 pandemic.  
33. Most of the 335 COVID -19 measures on goods taken since the outbre ak of the pandemic were 
trade -facilitating, and most of them were adopted on a temporary basis. Although in the early stages 
of the pandemic most measures restricted trade, as at mid -October 2020, 195 (58%) of all measures 
were of a trade -facilitating natu re. A total of 140 measures (42%) could be considered as trade 
restrictive.  
34. The gradual phase -out of export restrictions targeting products such as surgical masks, 
gloves, medicines, and disinfectants continued during the second half of the year, together with the 
roll back of other measures taken in the early stages of the pa ndemic. Around 39% of the COVID -19 
restrictive measures implemented by WTO Members and Obs ervers had been repealed by 
mid-October. By then, around 18% of COVID -19 trade facilitating measures had also been 
eliminated.  
35. The trade coverage of COVID -19 related trade -facilitating measures on goods implemented 
since the beginning of the pandemic was estimated at USD 227 billion, while that of the COVID -19 
trade -restrictive measu res stood at USD 180 billion.  
36. In addition, WTO Members and Observers have implemented a large number of emergency 
support measures in response to the COVID -19 crisis. Since the beginning of the pandem ic, 
638 COVID -19 support measures have been communicated  by WTO Members and Observers to the 
Secretariat; and another 405 measures were identified from public sources and governmental 
websites, i.e., a total of 1,043 COVID -19 support measures put in place by 94 WTO Members and 
3 Observers. Most of these measure s appeared to be temporary in nature.  
37. In this context, I believe that it is important to stress two things. First, these emergency 
support measures are clearly central to governments’ responses to the pandemic -induced economic 
downturn, and to their strat egies for a sustainable post -crisis recovery. Second, listing and providing 
information on these measures does not involve passing judgment on the right of Members to 
implement these or, indeed, analysing if and the extent to which such measures impact tra de. I 
believe that the regular monitoring of support measures introduced in the context of the pandemic 
will be important for Members and will enable them to track the evolution and effects of such 
measures, as the world exits the health crisis and enters a recovery period.  
38. Services sectors were also heavily affected by the pandemic, although the extent of the impact 
varies by sector and mode of supply. Members adopted 124 measures affecting trade in services in 
response to the pandemic. Although most of s uch measures appeared to be trade facilitating, some 
appeared to be trade restrictive. This is also something that we must continue to monitor.  
Other findings  
39. Now, let me turn to the other findings of the Report.  
40. With respect to trade remedies, the Report recorded a significant increase of trade remedy 
initiations, confirming that these measures remain an important trad e policy tool for WTO Members.  WT/TPR/OV/M/ 18 
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  41. On other fronts, the Report provides evidence of Members’ continued commitment to notifying 
SPS and TBT measu res, as well as their extensive use of the review process in the Committee on 
Agriculture.  
42. The Report also outlines numerous trade issues and concerns that Members have raised in 
WTO bodies. On the positive side, this illustrates the value of WTO committe es as constructive 
platforms for Members to address such concerns non -litigiously.  
43. The Report also highlights developments in intellectual property and documents IP measures 
introduced for promoting innovation or facilitating access to COVID -19-related he alth technologies.  
44. Finally, I would like to draw your attention to a Secretariat initiative in sharing the findings of 
the Report, in a more user -friendly fashion, through a dedicated Fact sheet document. This is 
available on the WTO website; and I encoura ge you to look at it, as it is short, and provides an 
illustrative snapshot of the main findings of the Report.  
Conclusion   
45. These are some of the principal findings that I wanted to highlight today. I hope that these 
introductory remarks provide some food for thought for our discussion this afternoon.  
46. There is no doubt in my mind that keeping international trade and investment flows open will 
be critical to rebuilding economies, businesses and livelihoods around the world, as we prepare for 
a sustainable e xit from the pandemic. A strong recovery will require determined leadership and 
coordination by WTO Members. A collective commitment to transparency will be at the core of this 
effort and to strengthening the multilateral trading system. Thank you very muc h. 
STATEMENTS BY MEMBERS  
CHINA  
47. At the outset, China would like to extend its appreciation to the DDG Agah for the presentation 
and the Secretariat for preparing this annual report. We believe this report well captures the latest 
development of global trade  against the pandemic background as mentioned by DDG Agah, which 
gives us a lot of food for thought. I would like to share three  key words as the observation of the 
report.  
48. The first word is caution . The Report presents us with a mixed picture. On the positive side, 
about 39% of trade restrictive measures in response to covid -19 are repealed or phrased out by 
mid-October, and most of the Covid -19 related measures are trade -facilitating. On the negative side , 
the surging trade remedy initiations hits the highest record since 2012 in terms of monthly average 
while that of terminations, by contrast, is the lowest record. Though the global trade picks up 
progressively in the second half of 2020, the recovery is still uncertain. The rise of trade remedy 
measures would suggest a resurgent protectionism, which may undo what we have achieved up to 
date. In this connection, we would like to urge Members to exercise caution and restraint on the use 
of trade remedy acti ons so as to avoid creating unnecessary restrictions to trade.  
49. The second word is cooperation . Cooperation, rather than isolation, in the global value chain 
is essential to bolster a sustainable recovery from the pandemic. A lot of studies have also alrea dy 
shown that reshoring or cutting the global value chain will not enhance a country’s capacity to fight 
against the pandemic but will do negatively. We are also deeply concerned with the proliferation of 
restrictive actions including tightening foreign in vestment regimes and imposing bans on normal 
business activities on the protest of national securit y. To this end, we call on all M embers to make 
joint efforts to send positive signals for business confidence building rather than the opposite.  
50. The third wo rd is continuity . The pandemic has underscored the importance of transparency. 
We share with the same view that a well -functioning trade policy monitoring mechanism would 
provide transparency critically needed in the time of crisis. Therefore, we encourage  all Members to 
work together to ensure the continuity of the well -functioning WTO Trade Policy Monitoring 
Mechanism. This mechanism was established in the year of 2009 during the financial crisis, and 
played a crucial role in helping members resist from p rotectionism and unilateralism at that time. WT/TPR/OV/M/ 18 
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  We hope that, with efforts of all M embers, this mechanism could continue to play the same role in 
the current pandemic we are facing and in the future crisis. I thank you, Mr. Chairman.  
UNITED  STATES  
51. The United States takes note of the Annual Report and appreciates the effort that went into 
it. We also thank the Secretariat for its presentation t oday. I would like to make a few brief 
comments.  
52. First, the Annual Report made several interesting observations, and I quote:  
• “Members have generally expressed and followed a commitment to ensure that trade could 
flow freely during the pandemic.”  
• “Most of the COVID -19 related measures taken on goods since the outbreak of the pandemic 
were trade -facilitating.”  
• “In the servi ces sectors heavily impacted by the pandemic, most of the 124 COVID -19 
related measures adopted by WTO Members appeared to be trade facilitating.”  
 
53. The data in the Report seems to support these observations. From this, perhaps we can take 
some encouragemen t that, with respect t o trade, the sky is not falling . The economic crisis appears 
to be rooted in aggregate demand, not trade.  
54. This reinforces our assessment that there is no compelling reason to increase the scope, depth, 
or frequency of trade monitoring  and reporting by the Secretariat.  As we stated at the informal TPRB 
meeting last month, we oppose calls for the Secretariat to issue monitoring reports on a quarterly 
basis.  
55. We note that Members from whom transparency is most needed are not complying with  their 
WTO notification obligations. We do not share the expectation that such Members would ignore their 
WTO notification obligations and yet devote resources to diligently report measures to the Secretariat 
four times a year.  
56. Regarding Members’ notificat ions, the Annual Report made two observations, and I quote:  
• “With a few exceptions, compliance with notification requirements of the various WTO 
Agreements remains very uneven. “  
• “The lack of compliance with notification obligations across WTO bodies is pr oblematic 
because it undermines individual agreements and, more generally, the operation of the 
multilateral trading system.”  
 
57. The United States agrees. Transparency is a foundational principle of the WTO, and Members’ 
continued failure to meet their notif ication obligations damages the functioning of the WTO.  
58. In the G20 this year, M embers  — including some with rather poor track records for 
transparency  — agreed that “the need for Members to fulfil their notification obligations is a 
necessary condition for  Members to effectively monitor  compliance with existing rules ”. 
59. To strengthen WTO institutional transparency and improve Members’ compliance with 
notification obligations, the United States is co -sponsoring with 10 other Members a proposal on 
Procedures t o Enhance Transparency and Strengthen Notification Requirements Under WTO 
Agreements.  
60. In our view, the responsibility for transparency and monitoring in the WTO rests squarely with 
Members – to fulfil their WTO notification and transparency obligations, an d to monitor compliance 
through their engagement in WTO committee work.  
61. Finally, the United States would like to register its concern that the Secretariat is tracking and 
reporting Members’ general economic support measures, despite a lack of consensus amo ng 
Members on taking this step.  WT/TPR/OV/M/ 18 
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  62. In Paragraph 3.135, the Annual Report recalls that at the informal TPRB meeting on July 24, 
twelve Members presented a room document, RD/TPR/1170, that called for the Secretariat to include 
economic support measures in its t rade monitoring report, and to make a technical assessment of 
these m easures to the extent possible.  The United States raised preliminary concerns with the room 
document, but  did not have a full opportunity to consider it.  
63. At that meeting, the then -Director General called on Members to provide the Secretariat with 
guidance on how general economic support measures should be dealt with in f uture Trade Monitoring 
Reports.  The sam e twelve Members subsequently recirculated their ideas in a formal communication, 
WT/TPR/446, dated 17 September.  
64. Members’ first opportunity to discuss that formal communication was at the TPRB in formal 
meeting on 27 November. During that meeting, the United States stated that general economic 
support measures do not belong in the trade monitoring reports, because they do not fall  within the 
purview of the WTO.  Further, the United States would not find it appropriate to ask the Secretariat 
to issue an assessment of Members’ economic support  measures, and framing it as a “technical 
assessment”  does not change our view.  
65. However, before that opportunity was provided on 27 November, the Secretariat had already 
begun publishing on the WTO website Members’ general economic support measures.  
66. And, a week after the TPRB informal meeting, the Secretariat released the Annual  Report. The 
report did not take into account Members’ lack of consensus, stating in Par agraph 3.145 that “the 
Secretariat will continue to monitor and report on general economic support measures withi n the 
resources available to it ”. Incongruously, the authors of the report admitted that “other International 
Organizations are often better pl aced to report on and  analyse many of these measures ”. 
67. The United States registers its concern that the Secretariat would take action based on the 
view of one subset of Members, fo r which there is no consensus. This is inconsistent with a 
Member -driven Org anization. For today’s purposes, we ask the Secretariat to explain how it will 
change its approach given there is no consensus among Members.  
EUROPEAN  UNION  
68. The EU would like to express appreciation to the Deputy Director -General and the Secretariat 
for pr eparing and releasing the Report and , in particular , for its thorough analysis of the global health 
crisis impact on trade and trade policy in the world.  
69. We would also like to thank the WTO Secretariat for its continuing work to monitor COVID -19 
trade and  trade -related measures in the on -going global health emergency. This helped us to have 
an up to date picture of the changing world economy and trade between the Report issued in summer 
and this Report.  
70. We note that this Trade Monitoring Report for the fi rst time reveals in more detail the impact 
of the global health crisis on trade and trade policy. We are concerned about the following findings:  
• Goods exports in value were down 21% in Q2 compared to the previous year;  
• Commercial services exports were down  30%. The decline in services trade contrasts with 
previous global recessions, when services trade tended to be less affected than goods trade;  
• The fall in world GDP in  2020 was larger than expected:  the estimate for world GDP is minus 
4.8% in October, in comparison to the estimate of mi nus 2.5% in April. GDP is now expected 
to increase only by 4.9% in 2021 (downgrade from the previous estimate of 7.4%).  
 
71. Nevertheless, there are some noteworthy positive elements:  
• The trade coverage of the regular import -facilitating measures was much higher than the 
one of import -restrictions (USD 731.3 billion vs  USD 440.9 billion; 1.7 more times) and 
increased significantly in comparison to the previous reporting period;  
• The WTO Membership applied more trade facilitating m easures than trade restrictive 
measures in response to COVID -19;  WT/TPR/OV/M/ 18 
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  • Trade restrictive measures adopted in the beginning of pandemic were phasing out, proving 
that they were targeted and temporary.  
 
72. In the situation caused by the pandemic, we cannot be silen t about the vast amount of the 
trade -related economic support measures. As the WTO Secretariat notes: “The number and variety 
of support measures implemented in response to the economic and  social turmoil caused by 
COVID -19 is greater than that witnessed d uring the 2008 -09 global financ ial crisis ”. 
73. Thus, transparency of such measures is more important than ever, given the undoubted 
impact of such measures on trade especially as we are now enterin g the economic recovery phase.  
74. We praise the work done by the WTO Secretariat in reporting COVID -19 trade -related 
economic support measures, notably:  
• In publishing the me asures reported by the Members on their respective website;  
• In giving us more comprehensive analysis than ever of these measures in this Report.  
 
75. We are positively surprised that the number of the countries , which reported COVID -19 
trade -related economic support measures increased from 47 until 67. However, at the same time 
we notice that some countries refuse to participate or some countries cannot  participate due to 
capacity constrains in this transparency exercise. Therefore, the current WTO Report does not cover 
COVID -19 trade -related economic measures, which were not reported by Members.  
76. We note that some Members say that the trade monitoring ex ercise should only cover 
measures that are covered by WTO agreements. However, let me cite the Report: “At the Eighth 
WTO Ministerial Conference in December 2011, Ministers recognized the regular work undertaken 
by the TPRB through the monitoring exercise of trade and trade -related measures took note of the 
work initially done in the context of the global financial and economic crisis and directed it to be 
continued and strengthened. <…> Ministers committed to duly comply with the existing 
transparency obli gations and reporting requirements needed for the preparation of these Reports, 
and to continue to support and cooperate with the WTO Secretariat in a constructive fashion”. We 
think that the trade monitoring exercise only enhances  transparency and provide s WTO M embers 
with the relevant up to date information on trade policy developments in addition to notifications.  
77. We understand that some Members may have capacity constraints to report COVID -19 
economic support measures. In this case, one of the possibili ties could be and the Members could 
just verify the information collected by the WTO Secretariat.  
78. We thank the WTO Secretariat for mentioning the communi cation on transparency of 
COVID -19 trade -related measures (co -sponsored by the EU, Australia, Brazil, C anada, Chile, Japan, 
Republic of Korea, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, Switzerland) a nd the Chair of TPRB for 
organiz ing subsequent informal consultations on improving the trade -monitoring function.  
79. We continue to urge further implementation  of the communication, namely returning to the 
quarterly cycle of trade monitoring reports, and the need for the analysis of COVID -19 trade related 
economic support measures to include not only reported measures but also non -reported measures. 
The EU is ready t o engage in any upcoming discussions on the reporting of regular and COVID -19 
related measures.  
80. Mr Chairman, we recogniz e the importance of the WTO trade monitoring function. We call the 
Members to support the WTO in its performance of one of its main func tions – transparency – as we 
all undoubtedly benefit from it.  
THE SEPARATE  CUSTOMS  TERRITORY  OF TAIWAN,  PENGHU,  KINMEN  AND  MATSU  
81. The delegation of the Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu would 
like to thank the Secretariat for t he tremendous efforts made in producing this year’s Trade 
Monitoring Report. A successful report delivery despite all the difficulties and challenging 
circumstances caused by the COVID -19 pandemic both within and outside this institution is 
commendable for  recognition.  WT/TPR/OV/M/ 18 
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  82. Our delegation continues attaching great importance to this bi -annual trade monitoring 
exercise, because the report presents the most recent global economic scen ario and future trend 
with the compiled trade -related policies and measures being  put in place during the review period 
with which Members are able to closely monitor the development and assess the trade effect and 
potential consequence. We remain convinced that the report and monitoring exercise is very useful 
and constructive to bett er the functioning of the Trade Policy Review Mechanism.  
83. Coming back to the Report itself, we would like to share some observations.  
84. First and positively, we noticed that 101 Members have participated in this year’s exercise by 
providing or verifying the i nformation on concerned measures in response to the Secretariat’s 
request. Compared to last year’s part icipation of 79 M embers, the improvement of Member 
involvement seems to be significant and encouraging. We thank all Members for their active 
cooperation  and encourage the Secretariat to also reach out to Members who have yet responded 
to the call and provide them with the necessary assistance if required.  
85. Secondly, it is evident that COVID -19 impacts are highly reflected in this year’s report. The 
social and economic shock COVID -19 has caused to every country and sector is unprecedented. 
There is no need to highlight the significant decline in the volume of world merchandise trade and 
service trade in the year of 2020. Though trade growth is expected to bo unce mildly in 2021, 
recovery remains uncertain and vulnerable depending on the evolution of the pandemic and 
extensive distribution of effective vaccines appearing on the horizon.  
86. Thirdly, in response to the crises, Members have taken 335 COVID -19 trade and trade -related 
measures, both of a trade facilitating and restricting nature. Ensuring the flow of essential goods 
and preventing disruption of supply chains were major challenges concerning the member 
governments in the early stage of the pandemic. As the constraints of supply on essential medical 
equipment has been gradually resolved, we are delighted to note that 39% of trade restrictive 
measures have been rolled back, allowing trade for goods and services to be cautiously resumed in 
a manageable mann er. Our delegation therefore calls on Members to continue reviewing the existing 
restrictions and eliminating them promptly once the situations allow.  
87. Lastly, we noted the report captured a total of 1,043 COVID -19 support measures being put 
in place by 94  WTO Members, including monetary, fiscal and financial measures as well stimulus 
packages. It is understandable that member governments have rolled out all the possible resources 
available in order to support business recovery from crisis and sustain long -term recovery 
momentum. We believe now is an even more crucial moment to urge Members to adhere to the 
multilateral trade rule, ensuring a level playing field, respecting the market -oriented force, and 
fulfilling transparency obligations when drawing up th eir post -COVID trade and investment policy. 
Members should work together in solidarity, to make joint efforts in restoring economic resilience by 
laying down a sustainable foundation for a strong recovery.  
88. To conclude, Mr. Chair, we greatly appreciate the value of the joint efforts of the Secretariat 
and Members on this exercise. Our delegation will continue to cooperate fully in the same manner. 
Thank you.  
HONG  KONG,  CHINA  
89. We thank the Director -General (DG)’s team for their efforts in compiling the annual report on 
overview of developments in the int ernational trading environment.  As the global economy is still in 
the midst of the unprecedented pandemic, the information and analysis in the report help us reflect 
on the trend in the international trading env ironment, and to prepare for a sustainable economic 
recovery.  
90. The Report noted that Members and Observers introduced the  lowest number of regular 
trade -restrictive and trade fa cilitating measures since 2012.  That said, i t might be too early to 
recogniz e this as a positive trend, when set against the background of a sharp decline in overall 
global trade flows and government attention is still focused on fighting the pandemic.  
91. More to our concern, the stockpile of import restrictions still in for ce, affecting some 8.7% of 
world imports, continues to grow. While the majority of the measures affecting trade in services are WT/TPR/OV/M/ 18 
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  trade facilitating, a significant number of new policies appear to be trade restrictive, such as bans 
on certain communication a pps, various taxation measures and measures in relation to foreign 
investment which are considered strategic or related to national security.  
92. The volume of world merchandise trade was estimated to decline by 9.2% in 2020. Although 
the figure is forecast to  increase by 7.2% in 2021, world trade is still vulnerable to setbacks, as 
countries continue to deal with the effects of new lockdowns, and the negative impact of the 
pandemic has yet to be fully reflected.  
93. Trade remedy measures continue to be a very impo rtant trad e policy tool for WTO Members. 
The trade coverage of trade remedy initiations was estimated at USD 68.8 billion, and that of 
termi nations at USD 9.9 billion. We call on Members to exercise caution and restraint when 
considering to adopt trade rem edy actions, to avoid creating unnecessary restrictions to trade, and 
honour their commitments under the WTO.  
94. The Report takes a closer look at the trends characterising the trade concerns ra ised in WTO 
bodies since 2015. The findings indicate a relatively  positive correlation between the number of trade 
concerns raised in a higher and more political WTO body, and the number of formal dispu tes initiated. 
In other words, when Members raise trade concerns at a higher WTO body, there is a probability 
that the issue wi ll result in a formal dispute. We encourage Members to take trade concerns raised 
at WTO bodies more seriously and to consider resolving their trade concerns non -litigiously.  We 
would also like to thank the Secretariat for their effort and welcome such review be conducted in 
the future.  
95. We also note there is an improvement of response to the DG’s initial request for information 
on measures and requests for verification. That said, participation in the verification process 
remained uneven. We contin ue to urge more Members to actively participate in this exercise.   
96. In the case of HKC, I would like to note that due to technical glitches, our reply to the DG’s 
request for verification for the current report has not been received by the Secretariat, and  therefore 
was not counted in the tab le in Appendix 1 of the Report.  Chair, please rest assured that HKC would 
continue to support and actively participate in the exercise, as we have always done in the past.  
97. The Report also notes that the compliance with notification requirements of the various W TO 
Agreements remains uneven. W e encourage Members to actively participate in the discussions 
currently taking place for enhancing compliance of notification requirements and work together to 
identify ways to impro ve the situation.  
98. In response to the COVID -19 pandemic, Members and Observers put in place 335 trade and 
trade -related measures, 58% o f which are trade -facilitating.  In addition, over 1,000 COVID -19 
support measures mainly targeting sectors of the economy heavily affected by the crisis have been 
put in place.  
99. The pandemic calls for our joint efforts in restraining implementation of trade restrictive 
measures, rolling back trade restrictive measures taken once circumstances no longer warrant their 
continuation, and considering appropriate trade facilitating and support measures.  
100.  In terms of transparency. 67 Members (41% of the WTO membership) shared 
COVID -19-related ge neral economic support measures in response to the  DG’s request for 
information. We appreciate that the COVID -19 support measures are also put on the COVID -19 
webpage for transparency.  
101.  We are, however, disappointed that only 38 Members (23% of the WTO memb ership) 
volunteered information on regular gene ral economic support measures. Again, a separate annex 
on general economic support measures has not been included in the trade -monitoring report.  We 
consider such measures form part of the overall trade policy  of an economy and appeal to Members 
to play an active part and support this transparency exercise. Thank you, Chair.  
  WT/TPR/OV/M/ 18 
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  SWITZERLAND  
102.  First, we would like to thank Deputy Dire ctor-General Agah for his introductory remarks, and 
the Secretariat for having pro duced this new report on “developments in the international trading 
environment ”. This outstanding monitoring report offers once again a comprehensive picture of the 
situation, problems and challenges we are currently facing in the area of international tr ade. 
103.  We, of course , welcome the section on COVID -19 trade and trade -related measures, as well 
as the section on general economic support measures. We should however express our 
disappointment regarding the low participation rate in submitting inputs on gen eral economic 
support measures, although these inputs are submitted on a voluntary basis. In this regard, I wish 
to refer to the communication contained in WT/TPR/446 that we discussed 2 weeks ago in an 
informal TPRB meeting.  
104.  On a very positive note, we ap preciate the significantly increased participation of the 
membership in the compilation of this report. 62% of the membership did participate, covering 97% 
of world imports. This is much better than previous years. These numbers shed no doubt on the 
compre hensiveness of the report.  
105.  We believe , however , that we could further improve on this. I wish to recall and emphasize 
the importance of the continuation of this exercise as it brings additional transparency to current 
trade policies and practices.  
106.  Without going  too much into details, the R eport highlights a number of dramatic figures: 
merchandise exports were down 21%, while commercial services exports were down 30%. We know 
what those number means in terms of growth and living standards worldwide.  
107.  In these  circumstances, it is t ime to step up the role of the O rganization in contributing to the 
containment of the pandemic and promoting economic recovery. To that end, I wish to bring 
Members’ attention to the communication contained in WT/GC/223 on a WTO trad e and health 
initiative. This communication has been distributed to the membership recently and will be presented 
at the General Council next week. Thank you, Mr. Chair . 
JAPAN  
108.  To begin with, Japan would like to express its appreciation to the Secretariat f or developing 
this monitoring report. As shown in the report, 89 trade -restrictive measures have been introduced 
during this monitoring period and we welcome the achievement of the lowest figure since 2012.  
109.  Turning to the COVID -19 related measures, while 140 trade -restricting measures were 
introduced, 195 trade -facilitating measures were taken. On the whole, this is a positive sign that 
Members are working to maintain a predictable and stable economic environment. At the same time, 
the 9.2% decline in trad e volume over the previous year and the trade restrictions on various 
essential products such as pharmaceutical and agricultural products highlighted the vulnerability of 
the free trade system under the COVID -19 pandemic.  
110.  We believe that these emergency me asures taken by Members should be lifted as soon as 
possible once they have been deemed no longer necessary. In cooperation with other Members, 
Japan would like to engage in discussion towards the restoration of the international trading 
environment with a  view to post -COVID -19 recovery.  
111.  As described in the monitoring report, the TPR meeting of Japan was held in July this year. 
Taking this opportunity, please let me express our sincere appreciation to those who were involved 
in organizing the meeting. We wo uld like to continue our efforts for the further improvement of our 
trade policy, while noting the questions raised and interests expressed by the Members.  
112.  Japan supports the proposal, “COVID -19: transparency of t rade related measures”, as a 
co-sponsor. We  believe that enhancing transparency is now becoming more important than ever, 
especially under the COVID -19 crisis. In this regard, we believe that the implementation of this 
proposal should begin from the most feasible elements in order to ensure the tra nsparency of such 
trade -restrictive measures under the pandemic.  WT/TPR/OV/M/ 18 
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  UNITED  KINGDOM  
113.  The United Kingdom would like to join other Members in expressing appreciation for the work 
of the Secretariat in evaluating developments in the trading system. The world econo my is 
experiencing an economic shock the likes of whic h we have not seen in decades.  
114.  To aid in the recovery, it is essential to have a solid understanding of the impact of the 
pandemic on the trading system. The work of the Secretariat  in preparing these r eports and tracking 
trade -related measures taken in response to the pandemic, is a valuable contribution t o building this 
understanding.  
115.  As reflected in the R eport, COVID -related trade actions are also discussed in a number of 
Committees and in the Council  on Trade in Goods. We welcome the focus that Members are giving 
to these measures in those fora.  
116.  We likewise support initiatives to impr ove transparency of COVID -related measures, recalling 
the G20 principles that such measures should be targeted, propor tionate, transparent, and 
temporary.  The Trade Monitoring Report provides important transparency regarding these measures 
and we encourage the Secretaria t to continue to include them.  
117.  We are pleased that 67 Members and 1 Observe r provided information on ge neral economic 
support measures taken in  response to the pandemic. The R eport notes that more of these types of 
measures, with a more comprehensive scope  have been put in place than during the 2008 -2009 
global financial crisis. This kind of support is a necessary response to an economic crisis but does 
have the potential to become a source  of distortions in the future.  
118.  We encourage Members to provide information on other general econom ic support 
programmes as well. A considerably smaller number of Members provided such information for this 
Trade Monitoring Report.  
119.  We also thank the Chair for convening an informal meeting on ways to improve the WTO trade 
monitoring exercise and look forward to  continuing this discussion.  
AUSTRALIA  
120.  Australia would like to again provide its thanks for this Director -General’s Overview of 
Developments in the International Trading Environment. It is an important tool in supporting 
systemic transparency which underpi ns the WTO in sustaining predictability and stability of the global 
trading system.  
121.  We note that for 2019 -20, the number of new trade restrictive and trade facilitative measures 
are the lowest since 2012, and has resulted in a decrease in the trade coverag e of import -restrictive 
measures this year.  
122.  The bigger picture is concerning, since the cumulative trade coverage of import restricting 
measures in force since 2009 have continued to increase to affect an estimated 8.7 % of world 
imports.  
123.  Of particular inte rest is the COVID measures, with a total of 1,043 COVID -19 support 
measures found to have been put in place. We continue to urge Members to continue exercise 
restraint in introducing trade restrictive measures so that they are targeted, proportionate, 
transparent, temporary, and consistent with WTO rules.  
124.  The value of the tracking the impacts of COVID -19 on global trade is clear, as  indicated by 
the report that, “ the number and variety of support measures i mplemented in response to COVID -19 
is greater than that witnessed during the 2008-09 global financial crisis”.  
125.  Regarding this important issue of transparency, we note th at in regard to compiling this R eport 
some 62 % of the membership covering 97 % of world imports responded to requests for information 
and v erification, and the quality and timeliness of those responses was uneven.  WT/TPR/OV/M/ 18 
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  126.  WTO Members must work collectively to further improve transparency.  
127.  Current discussions on the effectiveness and coherence of the WTO’s transparency functions 
are healthy and Austr alia is actively engaged in such discussion s. This includes our support for 
practical steps which we and others put forw ard in the joint communication “ COVID -19: 
Transpa rency of Trade -Related Measures” (WT/TPR/446), addressed earlier by the EU . It also 
includes the proposal on “ Procedures to Enhance Transparency and Strengthen Notification 
Requirements under WTO Agreements”  (JOB/CTG/14/Rev.4).  
128.  We thank the Secretariat for its ongoing work to enhance transparency across the board, this 
includes the WTO’s COV ID-19 webpage.  
129.  As Members, we need work collectively and cooperatively to find practical means of enhancing 
WTO transparency – to maximi ze the value of this work as a “global public good” . 
SINGAPORE  
130.  We wish to thank the Secretariat for the comprehensive Re port (WT/TPR/OV/23).  
131.  As the COVID -19 pandemic rages on, we take comfort that many IP measures introduced 
during the review period were aimed at promoting innovation or facilitating access to 
COVID -19-related health technologies, as stated in the Report. We  encourage Members to continue 
to explore how IP can be part of the solution and not a barrier to  addressing the impact of COVID -19. 
132.  While it is heartening that WTO Members continue to use WTO bodies to address their trade 
concerns, which reinforces the mo nitoring and transparency features of the WTO, we note from the 
Report that several of the concerns raised appear to indicate persistent and unresolved issues. 
Notably, out of about 1,000 issues and concerns raised, almost a tenth was raised three or more 
times. In this context, we urge Members to work constructively and cooperatively to find solutions 
to these issues.  
133.  Finally, Singapore would like to reiterate the importance o f Members reporting their 
trade -related measures to the WTO in a timely fashion. We remain concerned about the gap between 
measures being applied by Members, including in response to the pandemic, and what is being 
reported to the WTO. We thank the WTO Secretariat for its excellent ongoing work in enhancing 
transparency.  
SECRETARIAT  (MR. PETER PEDERSEN)  
134.  First, let me thank the U nited States for its statement and for its substantive and reflective 
comments with respect to certain measures in the Report.  
135.  Perhaps it is most practical to initially and specifically address the issue of the approach taken 
to economic support measures in the Report.  
136.  At its most fundamental level, the Secretariat has not changed its approach to trade 
monitoring since the creation of the exercise and the circulation of the Monitoring Reports. One 
important reaso n why the trade monitoring mandate finds itself under the TPRM is that, as the 
Report before Members today also states, it seeks to look at and provide transparency with respect 
to the overall international trading environment. This is the approach of trad e policy reviews and it 
is the approach of the trade monitoring exercise.  
137.  The WTO Trade monitoring exercise was precisely created to monitor and report the wide 
range of measures, including support measur es, which were put in place by G overnments in 
respon se to the GFC of 2008 -2009 and in a sense that became practice.  
138.  The specific manifestation of this practice was the inclusion of a dedicated annex on support 
measures. This annex existed from 2009 up to 2017. Since 2017 , the Secretariat have not felt in a 
position to maintain such an annex because of the poor response rate and the bias it would have 
possibly created for those Members that traditionally share and publish detailed information on 
support measures.  WT/TPR/OV/M/ 18 
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  139.  It is also very important to emphasize that the Secretariat specifically point out that it is often 
difficult to ascertain the impact/linkage of these measures on trade and competition. The Secretariat 
does not engage in any analysis or judgment of these measures whatsoever.  
140.  Finally, in September , the Secretariat published COVID -19 related support measures ONLY 
(not regular support measures) within the effort of transparency around the measures related to the 
pandemic. Only those measures communicated by Members have been shared public ly – with no 
edits or indeed translation. The ultimate and only objective is to provide a transparency platform for 
these measures and for those Members that wish to share them. I should stress that these mea sures 
are not included in this R eport, but only available on the COVID -19 website.  
141.  I also like to reassure Members that Secretariat's only objective is to provide them with a 
transparency platform that allows for a constructive, regular and cross -cutting peer review.  
142.  The Secretariat alwa ys welcomes any guid ance and advice by M embers collectively on how to 
enhance the trade monitoring exercise.  
DEPUTY DIRECTOR -GENERAL AGAH’S CLOSING REMAR KS 
143.  I would like to thank the delegations who have participated in the discussion and in the 
preparation  of the Report before us today. I think we can all agree that the active involvement of 
Members in the WTO Trade Monitoring exercise as a cross -cutting, factual and objective tool that 
reinforces transparency, stability and predictability is important. We have taken note of the exchange 
of views today and look forward to working with you in preparing the next reports in 2021. Thank 
you very much.  
CHAIRPERSON 'S CLOSING REMARKS   
144.  I hope that you have found our exchange of views today useful. I believe that we can all agree 
that improved transparency and predictability are essential elements of a healthy and 
well-functioning multilateral trading system. The ability of the trade monitoring exercise to deliver 
factual and up -to-date information depends, to a very large extent, on the input of Members, initially 
in terms of providing and subsequently in terms of verifying information. This is the case in the best 
of times, but I also believe that the COVID -19 crisis has further underscored the importance of the 
transparency platform which is the Trade Monitoring Exercise.  
145.  I think Members deserve credit for their efforts to share information about measures 
implemented in response to the health crisis – despite the significant challenges we have all had to 
cope with. Your timely contributions to the trade monitoring reports are of paramount importance – 
to ensure and preserve the high quality and accuracy of the reports submitted to you and further 
strengthen the constructive stakeholder relationship between the Secret ariat and Members which is 
fundamental to this exercise.  
146.  In this vein, as you know, I recently held an open -ended informal consultation on several 
ideas and suggestions for improvements of the trade monitoring exercise. I thought we had a 
positive and int eresting exchange of views during that consultation and I am currently reflecting on 
how we can best continue this informal conversation.  
147.  Let me conclude by thanking all delegations for joining us today and for contributing to the 
discussion. This ends our  meeting today. I look forward at our next meeting on 6 and 
8 January  2021, when the TPRB will review the trade policies of India.  
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