WT/MIN(17)/ST/128  
 
30 January 2018  
(18-0683) Page: 1/2 
Ministerial Conference  
Eleventh Session  
Buenos Aires, 10 -13 December 2017  Original: English  
 
 
STATEMENT BY AMBASSADOR ROBERT LI GHTHIZER  
UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE  
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA  
I would like to start by thanking the government of Argentina for hosting MC11, and  
Minister  Malcorra, Director General Azev êdo, and their staffs for their excellent work. We 
appreciate all the effort over many months that go into creating a conference of this magnitude.  
 
In the brief time I have, I would like to make a few basic points.  
 
First, the WTO is obviously an important institution. It does an enormous amount of good, and 
provides a helpful negotiating forum for Contracting Parties.  
 
But, in our opinion, serious challenges exist.  
 
Second, many are concerned that the WTO is losing  its essential focus on negotiation and 
becoming a litigation -centered organization. Too often members seem to believe they can gain 
concessions through lawsuits that they could never get at the negotiating table. We have to ask 
ourselves whether this is g ood for the institution and whether the current litigation structure 
makes sense.  
 
Third, we need to clarify our understanding of development within the WTO. We cannot sustain a 
situation in which new rules can only apply to the few, and that others will b e given a pass in the 
name of self -proclaimed development status. There is something wrong, in our view, when five of 
the six richest countries in the world presently claim developing country status. Indeed, we should 
all be troubled that so many Members a ppear to believe that they would be better off with 
exemptions to the rules. If in the opinion of a vast majority of Members playing by current WTO 
rules makes it harder to achieve economic growth, then clearly serious reflection is needed.  
 
Fourth, it is impossible to negotiate new rules when many of the current ones are not being 
followed. This is why the United States is leading a discussion on the need to correct the sad 
performance of many Members in notifications and transparency. Some Members are int entionally 
circumventing these obligations, and addressing these lapses will remain a top U.S. priority.  
 
Fifth, the United States believes that much can and should be done at the WTO to help make 
markets more efficient. We are interested in revitalizing t he standing bodies to ensure they are 
focused on new challenges, such as chronic overcapacity and the influence of state -owned 
enterprises. Further, we are working closely with many Members in committee and elsewhere to 
address real -world problems such as SPS barriers.  
 
We believe that all of us are here primarily to represent our own citizens to secure rules that will 
best help them. As President Trump said in his U.N. speech, institutions like this function best 
when all sovereign nations acting in their own best interest pull together and find ways that permit 
us all to prosper.  
 
Finally, the United States looks forward to working with all Members who share our goal of using 
the WTO to create rules that will lead to more efficient markets, more trade and greater wealth for 
our citizens. Such outcomes will build public support not only for open markets, but for the WTO 
itself.  WT/MIN(17)/ST/128  
 
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I'd like to end where I began and thank the Director General for all his work, and Minister Malcorra 
for their incredible work to p roduce a successful MC11.  
 
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