WT/REG262/2  
 
24 October 2014  
(14-6170)  Page: 1/3  
Committee on Regional Trade Agreements  Original: English  
 
 FREE TRADE AGREEMENT BETWEEN CHINA AND SINGAPORE 
(GOODS AND SERVICES) 
QUESTIONS AND REPLIES 
 The following communication, dated 23 October 2014, is being circulated at the request of 
the delegations of China and Singapore.  
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   This document reproduces the questions addressed to the Parties and the responses 
submitted. 
Questions from the delegation of the Sepa rate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, 
Kinmen, and Matsu 
According to page 23, paragraph 4. 24 of the WTO Secretariat’s Factual 
Presentation, for communication services of  Singapore, the only addition in the 
Agreement is store-and-forward, and store- and-retrieve services under value-added 
network services.  
We would like to know about further commitments in these two services as 
follows: 
1.1.  The reasons for additional commitments in these two services. 
The additional commitment of Store-And-Retrieve  and Store-And-Forward Value Added 
Network Services  were made as a result of bilateral review to strengthen trade in communications 
services between Singapore and China, and after careful consideration of the overall balance of 
benefits to both Parties. The two services ar e regulated under the Telecommunications (Class 
Licences) Regulations of the Telecommunications Act (Cap 323). The definitions of these two 
services are listed below. More information is available on the website of the Infocomm 
Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) . 
The definitions of these two services an d their market shares in Singapore, 
including numbers of operators, subscribers,  and approximate revenue per year. Please 
describe the domestic controls over these two services. 
Operators who are interested to provide such se rvices in Singapore are required to apply for 
a class licence with IDA at a small fee which is valid for three years, and will be subjected to various regulatory measures including transparency of information about the services they 
provide, code of practice or st andard of performance issued or approved under section 26 of the 
Telecommunications Act, as well as financial requirements to enable any refund due to customers in the event of default in the provision of their services. There are currently about 250 operators in 
Singapore. Singapore does not maintain informat ion on the revenue and market share of these 
services.  WT/REG262/2 
 
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  CLASS LICENCE FOR STORE-AND-RETRIEVE VALUE-ADDED NETWORK SERVICES 
 Definition 
Store-and-retrieve value-added network services  are any of the following services provided 
by telecommunication systems, built over and above the telecommunication systems operated by 
a Facilities-Based Operator (FBO) and accessed through public telecommunication systems or leased circuits, which allow telecommunication traffic between a user and the value added network 
or between users: 
a. on-line information and database retrieval services; 
b. on-line information and data processing services; 
c. voice information services; 
d. electronic broking services; 
e. transaction services such as on-line shopping, on-line reservation service, etc.; 
f. remote computing services; 
g. on-line games; 
h. mailbox services including e-mailbox, voice-mailbox, facsimile-mailbox and multimedia 
mailbox; 
i. electronic data interchange services; 
j. store-and-retrieve file transfer services; 
k. electronic chatting services; 
l. bulletin board services; 
m. other multimedia services where the content or format of the telecommunication traffic 
is changed or processed. 
CLASS LICENCE FOR STORE-AND-FORWARD VALUE-ADDED NETWORK SERVICES 
Definition 
1. The store-and-forward value-added network services are the services specified in 
paragraph 2 which have a value-added function at one end (such as, the originating end) and are 
provided only on a call-by-call basis. 
2. The store-and-forward value-added network services referred to in paragraph 1 are any or 
both of the following:  
a. Value-added data services being packet switch ed data services which convey end-to-end 
non-voice traffic by providing the value-added function of code and protocol conversion; 
and 
b. value-added messaging services being value-added store-and-forward 
electronic-messaging service, value-added store-and-forward facsimile, value-added 
store-and-forward telex (excluding telegram) services and value-added store-and-forward voice mail services that provide one or more of the following 
value-added store-and-forward functions on a non real-time basis: 
a. deferred delivery; 
b. multi-addressing; 
c. content conversion; 
d. format conversion such from text-to-fax, text-to-telex, text-to- voice, fax-to-telex, 
fax-to-voice, telex-to-v oice or vice versa ; 
e. processing of control information (such as destination address) with or without 
modification to the content; or 
f. any other conversion that provides the users with additional, different or restructured 
information. WT/REG262/2 
 
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  Questions from the delegation of Thailand 
 
Paragraph 3.25: While recognizing the di fferences in their legal systems on 
conformity assessment, the Parties agree to discuss the possibility of mutual recognition 
of conformity assessment in accordance with the WTO TBT Agreement (Article 52.1). 
 1.2.  Up to now, have the Parties discu ssed the possibility of mutual recognition of 
conformity assessment on any products? Please clarify those particular products as well 
as the progress of the discussion.  
According to Article 52.1 of the CSFTA, both sides have discussed the possibility of mutual 
recognition and identified some areas under Article 55.4(e), such as electrical and electronic 
equipment and telecommunications equipment. Ther e have been preliminary discussions on these 
areas. 
Paragraph 4.9: Nothing in Chapters 8 (trade in services), 9 (movement of natural 
persons) and 10 (Investment) shall apply to  measures pertaining to citizenship, 
nationality, or permanent residence or empl oyment. Nothing in these chapters will also 
prevent any Party, from applying measures to  regulate the entry or temporary stay of 
natural persons of the other Party in its territory provided such measures are not 
applied in a manner so as to impede or nullif y the benefits accruing from the Agreement 
to the other Party (Article 79). In respect of the commitments on temporary entry in Annex 6, unless otherwise specified therein,  the Parties cannot: i) require labour 
certification tests, labour market testing, ec onomic needs testing or other procedures of 
similar effect; and ii) impose or maintain any numerical rest riction (Article 81.4). To 
avoid unduly impairing or delaying trade in g oods or services or investment activities 
under the Agreement, the Parties are commi tted to expeditiously process immigration 
applications (Article 80). In addition, if  a modification or an amendment of an 
immigration measure affecting the temporar y entry of natural persons arises, the 
Parties shall ensure that such changes ar e promptly published and made available 
(Article 82).  1.3.  How do the Parties expedite the immigr ation process? Does this lead to favorable 
privileges over the movement of na tural persons of other countries? 
 
According to Article 80 of the CSFTA, each Part y shall process expeditiously applications for 
immigration formalities from natural persons of the other Party, including further immigration 
formality requests or extensions thereof, so as to avoid unduly impairing or delaying trade in goods or services or conduct of investment activities under this Agreement. In this regard, both 
sides are committed to make efforts to facilitate business activities. For instance, the governments 
of both sides have signed the Agreement on the Mutual Waiver of Visa Requirements for Holders of Diplomatic, Service or Official Passports and Passports for Public Affairs which came into effect on April 17, 2011. Presently the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of both sides are conducting periodic 
bilateral consultations on consular issues including facilitating the movement of natural persons. 
For instance, Singapore can grant entry to Chinese business visitors for a period of up to sixty (60) days, which may be extended by a period of up to 30 days upon request, for holders of 5-year 
multiple journey visas. This is an improvement upon granting temporary entry for a period of up to 
thirty (30) days for most visitors. China unilaterally waived Singaporean ordinary passport holders visa requirements in 2003. Presently Singaporean ordinary passport holders including business 
travellers may enter China and stay up to 15 days without a visa. At the same time, Chinese 
multiple-entry visas with validity up to 5 years and duration of stay up to 180 days can be issued to Singaporean citizens including business travelle rs upon request. The privileges extended under 
CSFTA do not impinge upon the movement of natural persons of other countries. 
 
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