G/L/1268  
G/STR/21  
 
23 October 2018  
(18-6665) Page: 1/2 
    
 
REPORT (2018) OF THE  WORKING PARTY ON  
STATE TRADING ENTERP RISES  
1  ORGANIZATION OF THE WORK OF THE WORKING PARTY  
1.  The Working Party on State Trading Enterprises was established by the Council for Trade in Goods 
at its meeting of 20  February  1995, pursuant to paragraph  5 of the Understanding on the 
Interpretation of Article  XVII of the General Agree ment on Tariffs and Trade 1994 (hereinafter "the 
Understanding"). Membership of the Working Party is open to all Members indicating their wish to 
serve on it. Observer governments in the General Council of the WTO have observer status in the 
Working Party.   
2.  The mandate of the Working Party is set out in paragraph  5 of the Understanding. The 
Working  Party completed its mandate to develop an illustrative list of state trading relationships and 
activities with the adoption of the Illustrative List by the Counc il for Trade in Goods on 
15 October  1999 (G/STR/4). Having also completed the mandated revision of the questionnaire on 
state trading, the Working Party now reviews notifications, in light of the revised questionnaire 
adopted on 14  November  2003 (G/STR/3/R ev.1), as well as counter -notifications.  
3.  This Report is submitted under paragraph  5 of the Understanding, which provides that the 
Working Group shall report annually to the Council for Trade in Goods. It sets out the activities of 
the Working Party during the review period, which runs from 10 November 2017 through 19 October 
2018. During this period, the Working Party held two formal meetings under the Chairmanship of 
Mr. Antonius Yudi Triantoro (Indonesia) respectively on 31 May 2018 and 19  October 2018. T he 
minutes of the former have been circulated as document G/STR/M/33, while minutes of the latter 
will be circulated as G/STR/M/34.  
2  NOTIFICATION AND REV IEW OF MEMBERS' STAT E TRADING ACTIVITIES  
4.  Article  XVII:4 of GATT  1994 and paragraph  1 of the Understandin g require Members to notify 
their state trading enterprises to the Council for Trade in Goods. New and full notifications were first 
required in 1995 and, subsequently, every third year thereafter, with updating notifications to be 
made in the intervening years. Beginning in 2003, updating notifications were eliminated and the 
frequency of new and full notifications was increased to once every two years. This new approach 
was initially implemented on a trial basis. On 8  June 2012, the Working Party adopted the 
recommendation contained in document G/STR/8 to extend the current frequency of notification on 
an indefinite basis.  
5.  During the period under review, the Working Party reviewed new and full notifications from the 
following Members: Argentina, Barbados, Brazil, Burundi, Canada, China, Ecuador, El Salvador, the 
European Union, Hong Kong, China, Iceland, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Kazakhstan, the Republic of 
Korea, Liechtenstein, Macao, China, Mali, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, New Zealand, 
Nicaragua, Norway, Peru, Philippines, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, 
Switzerland, Thailand and the United States of America. It also returned to the previously reviewed 
notifications of China, India, New Zealand and Viet Nam.  
6.  During one  or both of the Working Party's meetings during the period under review, the Working 
Party also took up the following agenda items: (i) Continued Non -Notification of STEs by the 
Russian  Federation (item requested by the European  Union and the United States ); (ii) Continued 
Non-Notification of STEs by the United Arab Emirates (item requested by the United  States); (iii) G/L/1268 • G/STR/21  
 
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  Non-Notification of STEs by China (item requested by the United States) and (iv) Non -Notification 
of STEs by the Philippines (item requested  by the United States).  
7.  Finally, the Working Party adopted its Annual Report to the Council for Trade in Goods for the 
year 2018. 
3  COMPLIANCE WITH THE NOTIFICATION OBLIGAT ION  
8.  As of the end  of the review period, 26 new and full notifications have been received for the 
2016-2017 notification period (G/STR/N/17).  
9.  The following Members have not submitted any notification for this period : Afghanistan, Albania; 
Angola; Antigua and Barbuda; Armenia; Australia; Bahrain, Kingdom of; Bangladesh; Barbados; 
Belize; Ben in; Bolivia, Plurinational State of; Botswana; Brunei Darussalam; Burkina Faso; Cabo 
Verde; Cambodia; Cameroon; Central African Republic ; Chad; Chile; Colombia; Congo; Costa Rica; 
Côte d'Ivoire; Cuba; Democratic Republic of the Congo; Djibouti; Dominica; D ominican Republic; 
Ecuador; Egypt; Fiji; Gabon; The Gambia; Georgia; Ghana; Grenada; Guatemala; Guinea; Guinea -
Bissau; Guyana; Haiti; Honduras; India; Israel; Jamaica; Jordan; Kenya; Kuwait, the State of; 
Kyrgyz Republic; Lao People's Democratic Republic; Lesotho; Madagascar; Malawi; Malaysia; 
Maldives; Mauritania; Mauritius; Mexico; Moldova, Republic of; Mongolia; Montenegro; Morocco; 
Mozambique; Myanmar; Namibia; Nepal; Niger; Nigeria; Oman; Pakistan; Panama; Papua New 
Guinea; Paraguay; Philippines; Qatar ; Russian Federation; Rwanda; Saint Kitts and Nevis; Saint 
Lucia; Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; Samoa; Senegal; Seychelles, Republic of; Sierra Leone; 
Solomon Islands; Sri Lanka; Suriname; Swaziland; Chinese Taipei ; Tajikistan; Tanzania; Thailand; 
Togo; Tonga; Trinidad and Tobago; Tunisia; Turkey; Uganda; Ukraine; United Arab Emirates; 
Uruguay; Vanuatu; Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of; Viet Nam; Yemen; Zambia and Zimbabwe.  
10.  Information on the status of state trading notifications since 1995 is set out in document 
G/STR/20.  
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