WT/COMTD/RTA22/M/1  
 
6 December  2022 
(22-9044) Page: 1/2 
Committee on Trade and Development  
Eighteenth  Dedicated Session on Regional Trade  
Agreements    
 
FREE  TRADE AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE GULF COOPERATION COUNCIL (GCC) MEMBER 
STATES AND SINGAPORE (GOODS)  
NOTE ON THE MEETING OF 17 NOVEMBER  2022 
Chairperson: H.E. Ms. Usha Chandnee Dwarka -Canabady (Mauritius)  
1.  The 1 8th Dedicated Session on Regional Trade Agreements (RTAs) of the Committee on Trade  and 
Development (CTD) was convened in document WTO/AIR/COMTD/RTA/ 13/Rev.1 of 
7 November  2022. Under item  D (I) of the agenda, the Committee considered the goods aspects of 
the Free Trade Agreement  (FTA) between  the GCC Member States and Singa pore 
(WT/COMTD/RTA 22/N/1, WT/COMTD/RTA 22/1, WT/COMTD/RTA 22/2). The present document 
contains the minutes relating to the consideration of th is Agreement.1  
2.  The Chairperson  said that the goods aspects of th e FTA between the GCC Member States and 
Singapore  were notified under paragraph 4(a) of the Enabling Clause on 3 0 June 2015. The 
notification was originally circulated on 14 July 2015 in document WT/COMTD/N/45/Rev.1, and then 
re-circulated on 10 December 2021 in document WT/COMTD/RTA22/N/1 in accordance with the new 
symbols for notifications and subsequent documenta tion relating to RTAs agreed to by the CTD at 
its 108th Regular Session on 5 April 2019.  The services aspects of the Agreement were notified under 
Article V:7(a) of the General Agreement on Trade in Services  (GATS)  on 30 June 2015 in document 
S/C/N/807/Rev.1. The Committee on Regional Trade Agreements had undertaken  its consideration 
of the services aspects of the Agreement at its meeting of 22 September 2022. The factual 
presentation on th e Agreement – which was cir culated on 14 December 2021 with the CTD document 
symbol WT/COMTD/RTA22/1 – was prepared by the Secretariat on its own responsibility, and in full 
consultation with the parties.  Written questions from Brazil and Canada, as well as the replies from 
the par ties, ha d been circulated. The CTD document symbol for the questions and replies document 
was WT/COMTD/RTA22/2.  
3.  The representative of Singapore  said that her country and the GCC were longstanding trade and 
economic partners. The  FTA between the GCC Member States and Singapore , signed 
in December  2008, was the first FT A that the GCC had signed with a non -Middle East partner. This 
was an important milestone in GCC -Singapore relations. At the time of signing, the FTA was not only 
symbol ic of the strong and growing economic relations between the GCC and Singapore, but also 
demonstrated a recognition of the importance of the parties'  economies in their respective regions. 
Over the years, trade between Singapore  and the GCC Member States had remained robust and 
diversified along with the parties' economies. The Agreement  had enabled commercial interests to 
grow, as represented by the steady increase in trade in services and investments between Singapore 
and GCC Member  States . Singapore and t he GCC were like -minded partners. Despite differences in 
the composition of their economies, there was a shared impetus to pursue new frontiers in areas 
such as the digital and green economies. While Singapore’s trade with the GCC was hit hard by the 
COVID -19 pandemic in 2020, it ha d quickly bounced back to pre -pandemic levels. During the 
pandemic, there was an uptick in Singapore’s engagements with GCC Member  States on trade 
facilitation initiatives in the digital economy. For instance, in November 2021, S ingapore and 
the United Arab Emirates  had successfully piloted the digital transfer of electronic bills of lading 
across both jurisdictions via Singapore’s Infocomm and Media Development Authority’s (IMDA) 
TradeTrust  framework. Global climate change mitigation efforts ha d also created opportunities for 
 
1 The general minutes of the CTD's 1 8th Dedicated Session on RTAs are contained in document 
WT/COMTD/RTA/M/1 8. WT/COMTD/RTA22/M/1  
 
- 2 - 
 
  Singapore and the GCC Member  States  to strengthen their economic exchanges in areas such as 
renewable energy and low -carbon technologies. In December 2021, Singapore had signed a  
memorandum of understanding with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to cooperate in the energy sector, 
which include d collaborations in renewable energy and energy efficiency.  Overall,  the Agreement  
had provided a strong foundation for bilateral trade and economic relations, which Singapore and 
the GCC w ould continue to leverage and build upon. The Agreement  had also helped to provide 
stability for Singapore and its companies in exploring the burgeoning economic opportunities in the 
GCC market. Singapor e was confident that its partnership with the GCC would  continue to strengthen 
in the years to come.  
4.  The representative of  the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , on behalf of the GCC Member States,  pointed 
to the long-standing friendship and strong economic and pol itical ties  between the GCC and 
Singapore . This relationship had promoted and strengthened the multilateral trading system in a 
manner conducive to the development of regional and international cooperation.  Aiming to expand 
and develop the economic and trade relations to meet their common interests and mutual benefits, 
the two parties had signed a n FTA on 15 December 2008, in Doha, Qatar . This was  the first FTA 
signed by the GCC.  The GCC Member States were Singapore's top trading partner in the Middle East, 
with a volume of trade worth over USD 31 billion in 2021. Mineral fuel was the most import ant 
product imported by Singapore from GCC Member States accounting for  82% of the GCC's total 
export s to Singapore in 2021. Mechanical appliances were the most import ant product imported by 
the GCC Member States from Singapore  and accounted for 25% of Singapore 's total exports to the 
GCC in 2021.  The Agreement consist ed of ten chapters: General Provisions ; Trade in Goods ; Rules 
of Origin ; Customs Procedures ; Trade in Services ; Government Procurement ; Electronic Commerce ; 
Cooperation ; Settlement of Disputes ; and Final Provisions.  Appreciation was expressed to Singapore 
for the efforts to finalize the Agreeme nt and for the  cooperation in the preparation of discussions in 
WTO Committee s. Appreciation was also expressed to WTO Members for their interest in the 
Agreement and to the Secretariat for preparing the factual presentation .2 
5.  The representative of the United States  thanked  the parties for the transparency on the 
Agreement . 
6.  The Chairperson  said that oral discussion of the goods aspects of the FTA between the 
GCC Member States and Singapore could be concluded in accordance with paragraph 11 of the 
Transparency Mechanism for RTAs (RTA TM). Follow -up questions by Members would need to be 
submitted in writing to the Secretariat within one week, by 24 November  2022. The parties would 
then be give n two weeks to submit written replies by no later than 8 December  2022. In accordance 
with paragraph 13 of the RTA TM, all written submissions as well as the minutes of the present 
meeting would be circulated promptly in all WTO official languages and woul d be made available on 
the WTO website.  
7.  The Committee took note  of all interventions . 
 
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2 The representative of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was not able to attend the meeting and deliver this 
statement as was originally intended . The statement is reflected in the minutes of the meeting at the request 
of the delegation of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.