RESTRICTED  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  WT/COMTD/M/68 
11 April 2008 
 
 (08-1707) 
Committee on Trade and Development 
Sixty-Eighth Session  
 
 
NOTE ON THE MEETING OF 4 MARCH 2008 
 
Chairman:  H.E. Mr. Shree B.C. Servansing (Mauritius) 
 
 
A. ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA .........................................................................................................2  
B. OBSERVERS ............................................................................................................................... ...2 
(i) Request for attendance of ad hoc observers ...............................................................................2  
(ii) Further consideration of the requests for observer status by the League of Arab 
States, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), the Gulf 
Organization for Industrial Consulting, the Organisation Internationale de la 
Francophonie, the Common Fund for Commodities, the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC) and th e Groupe de la Banque Africaine de 
Développement.................................................................................................................. ..........2
 
C. NOTIFICATIONS UNDER THE ENABLING CLAUSE .........................................................................2  
- COMMUNICATION FROM BRAZIL ON THE REVISED GENERALIZED SYSTEM OF 
PREFERENCES SCHEME OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES (WT/COMTD /57/ ADD.1) ....................3  
- COMMUNICATION FROM CHINA ON THE REVISED GENERALIZED SYSTEM OF 
PREFERENCES SCHEME OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES (WT/COMTD /57/ ADD.2) ....................3  
- COMMUNICATION FROM INDIA ON THE REVISED GENERALIZED SYSTEM OF PREFERENCES SCHEME OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 
(WT/COMTD /57/ ADD.3) ....................3  
- COMMUNICATION FROM PAKISTAN ON THE REVISED GENERALIZED SYSTEM OF 
PREFERENCES SCHEME OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES (WT/COMTD /57/ ADD.4) ....................3  
- COMMUNICATION FROM THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES – RESPONSES TO QUESTIONS 
SUBMITTED BY BRAZIL , CHINA , INDIA AND PAKISTAN ON THE REVISED GENERALIZED 
SYSTEM OF PREFERENCES SCHEME OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 
(WT/COMTD /57/ ADD.5)................................................................................................................3  
- COMMUNICATION FROM THE UNITED STATES ON THE NOTIFICATION BY CHINA OF THE 
AMENDMENT TO THE FIRST AGREEMENT ON TRADE NEGOTIATIONS AMONG DEVELOPING MEMBER COUNTRIES OF TH E ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMISSION FOR 
ASIA AND THE PACIFIC 
(BANGKOK AGREEMENT ) (WT/COMTD /62/ ADD.1) ..................................5  
D. DECLINING TERMS OF TRADE FOR PRIMARY COMMODITIES , AND ITS IMPLICATION TO 
TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT OF PRIMARY COMMODITY EXPORTING COUNTRIES ........................5  
E. DECISION ON TRANSPARENCY FOR PREFERENTIAL TRADE ARRANGEMENTS (WT/L/672) ...........6  
F. REVIEW OF STEPS T AKEN TO PROVIDE DUTY -FREE AND QUOTA -FREE MARKET ACCESS 
TO LEAST -DEVELOPED COUNTRIES .............................................................................................7  
G. LATEST DEVELOPMENTS OF MEASURES WI THIN THE FRAMEWORK OF THE FORUM ON 
CHINA -AFRICA COOPERATION (FOCAC ) (WT/COMTD /W/164)......................................................8  WT/COMTD/M/68 
Page 2  
 
  H.
 ELECTION OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE SUB -COMMITTEE ON LEAST -DEVELOPED 
COUNTRIES ............................................................................................................................... ...9 
I. ELECTION OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE CTD ...........................................................................10  
J. OTHER BUSINESS .......................................................................................................................10  
 
 
 A. 
ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA  
1. The Chairman  said that the draft agenda for the 68th Session of the Committee on Trade and 
Development (CTD) was contained in document WT O/AIR/3151/Rev.1 issued on 27 February 2008.  
2. The agenda was adopted . 
B. OBSERVERS  
(i) Request for attendance of ad hoc observers 
3. The Chairman  recalled that at previous sessions of th e CTD, Members had agreed to invite a 
number of intergovernmental organizations on an ad  hoc, meeting-by-meeting basis.  These included 
the Arab Maghreb Union (AMU), the Common Fund for Commodities (CFC), the Economic 
Community of West African States (ECOWAS), th e Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO), the 
Inter-Arab Investment Guarantee Corporation, th e Islamic Development Bank (IDB), the African 
Union (AU), the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), the South Centre, the Pacific Islands Forum, the United Nations Environment Progra mme (UNEP), the West African Economic and 
Monetary Union (WAEMU) and the World Intellectua l Property Organization (WIPO).  He said that, 
following the decision taken at the previous meeti ng of the Committee, the organizations had been 
invited to the present meeting.  He proposed that the organizations be invited to the next formal 
meeting of the CTD. 
4. It was so agreed
. 
(ii) Further consideration of the requests for observer status by the League of Arab States, the 
Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), the Gulf Organization for 
Industrial Consulting, the Organisation Int ernationale de la Francophonie, the Common 
Fund for Commodities, the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC) and the Groupe de la Banque Africaine de Développement 
5. The Chairman
 said that at previous meetings, the Committee had had before it a number of 
requests for observer status.  He said that if there was no change in positions to extend observer status 
to any of those applicants, then the Committee would take note and would revert to those requests at 
the next meeting.   
6. It was so agreed . 
C. NOTIFICATIONS UNDER THE ENABLING CLAUSE  
7. The Chairman  said that he wished to inform the Committee of a communication received by 
the Secretariat on 19 November 2007 from Saudi Arabia concerning the Gulf Cooperation Council 
(GCC) Customs Union and the Pan-Arab Free Trade Area (FTA) Agreement, both of which had in 2006 been notified under GATT Article XXIV.  The co mmunication from Saudi Arabia requested that 
the legal provision under which these agreements we re to be notified be changed to the Enabling  WT/COMTD/M/68 
 Page 3 
 
 
  Clause.  He recalled that notifica tions under the Enabling Clause were required to be circulated using 
the common format that the CTD adopted in 2007.  However, in view of some missing information, 
the notifications concerning the GCC Customs Uni on and the Pan-Arab FTA Agreement had not yet 
been circulated.  He said that he had been in touc h with the Saudi Arabian Ambassador on this matter.  
The notifications would be circulated as soon as possible. 
- COMMUNICATION FROM BRAZIL ON THE REVISED GENERALIZED SYSTEM OF 
PREFERENCES SCHEME OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES (WT/COMTD /57/ADD.1) 
- COMMUNICATION FROM CHINA ON THE REVISED GENERALIZED SYSTEM OF 
PREFERENCES SCHEME OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES (WT/COMTD /57/ADD.2) 
- COMMUNICATION FROM INDIA ON THE REVISED GENERALIZED SYSTEM OF 
PREFERENCES SCHEME OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES (WT/COMTD /57/ADD.3) 
- COMMUNICATION FROM PAKISTAN ON TH E REVISED GENERALIZED SYSTEM OF 
PREFERENCES SCHEME OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES (WT/COMTD /57/ADD.4) 
- COMMUNICATION FROM THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES – RESPONSES TO QUESTIONS 
SUBMITTED BY BRAZIL , CHINA , INDIA AND PAKISTAN ON THE REVISED GENERALIZED 
SYSTEM OF PREFERENCES SCHEME OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 
(WT/COMTD /57/ADD.5) 
8. The Chairman  recalled that the European Communities had notified its revised Generalized 
System of Preferences (GSP) scheme at the 57th Session of the CTD.  Communications raising 
questions on the EC's revised GSP scheme had been received from Brazil, China, India and Pakistan 
and were circulated in documents WT/COMTD/57/Add. 1 to Add.4, respectively.  The EC's responses 
to the questions were circulated in document WT/COM TD/57/Add.5.  It had been agreed at the last 
CTD meeting that he would continue with his info rmal consultations on this  matter and would report 
back to the Committee.  In this regard, he said that  his consultations indicated that more time would 
be required before this item coul d be taken off the CTD's agenda. He inquired whether any Member 
wished to take the floor.  
9. The representative of Brazil  indicated that the information that had been received by his 
delegation on the EC's GSP scheme was insufficien t in a number of respects, and had not been 
provided in a timely manner.  For example, trade data for 2006 had not been provided by the EC.  He informed the Committee that his delegation had recen tly raised the data issue with the EC, and had 
been informed that changes were being introduced to Eurostat data.  He believed that it would be 
useful if the EC could provide some detail to Members on the types of changes that were being 
introduced, and when the changes would be implemented. 
10. The representative of India
 said that his delegation was still in the process of reviewing the 
responses provided by the EC.  However, a preliminary consideration of the information indicated that the responses did not fully address India's queri es.  His delegation would be shortly conveying to 
the EC some requests for clarification.  He requ ested that this item rema in on the agenda for the 
CTD's next meeting.  
11. The representative of Pakistan
 said that a bilateral meeting be tween her delegation and the EC 
had been held in November 2006.  At that meeting,  six follow-up questions were given to the EC and 
then shared with the CTD.  Written responses were  received from the EC on 28 February 2008.  
Unfortunately, a preliminary consideration of th e responses – which had been sent to her capital – 
indicated that they failed to address the precise issues  raised in the relevant context in the follow-up 
questions, and had not allayed the concerns that had necessitated the questions in the first place.  The WT/COMTD/M/68 
Page 4  
 
  evasive answers had, in fact, heightened her de legation's apprehension that the Enabling Clause, 
which was a tool to facilitate and promote the trade of developing countries as an exceptional 
departure from the most-favoured-nation (MFN) pr inciple, was being distorted.  Many of her 
delegation's concerns – for example, that the EC 's special incentive arrangement for sustainable 
development and good governance was a tailor-ma de scheme using non-objective criteria for 
selecting beneficiaries, that the arrangement sought reciprocity, and that it did not allow others to 
enjoy the same facility by imposing a deadline to m eet the requirements – remained unanswered.  She 
requested that this item remain on the CTD's agenda. 
12. The representative of th e European Communities
 said that the present item had been on the 
CTD's agenda for a substantial period of time, a nd related to a GSP scheme which was being applied 
for the years 2006 to 2008.  He believed that th e discussion was becoming outdated, in particular 
because the EC was in the process of elaborating its  GSP scheme for the years 2009 to 2011.  On the 
point raised by Brazil concerning the provision of trade data by the EC, he said that the EC had, in fact, submitted data to Brazil for the year 2006.  He  added that the EC was always willing to meet 
bilaterally with delegations to provide information on its GSP scheme, but had not recently received 
any requests for information.  He recalled that the last formal request for information from India dated 
back to 2006. With regard to the responses to Pakist an's questions, he recognized that there had been a 
delay in their submission.  This was, however, due to a misunderstanding, as the EC had been 
expecting to receive an official request for inform ation.  He said that the EC believed that its GSP 
scheme fully complied with the Enabling Clause. 
13. The representative of Brazil
 clarified that his delegation was seeking data from the EC for the 
year 2007, and not 2006 as he had earlier mistakenly indicated.  He believed that the EC should be in 
a position to provide this data.  In response to the comment from the EC representative on the length 
of time that the present item had remained on the CTD's agenda, he observed that an item necessarily 
became old if it was kept on the agenda for a lengthy  period.  This did not, however, in any way dilute 
the significance of the present item on the CTD's agenda .  He added that his delegation still had issues 
with the procedure the EC had put in place to share trade data, namely for delegations to request data 
bilaterally.  Furthermore, for each individual request  for trade data, the EC only provided data relating 
to the trade of the country requesting the data.  He emphasized the importance to developing countries 
of having information concerning the trade of other developing countries benefiting from GSP 
schemes. 
14. The representative of th e European Communities  said that more time was required to process 
and prepare data in the case of the EC – a custom s union of 27 member States – than might be the 
case for individual countries.  He explained that the EC's provision of data on a bilateral basis allowed 
more detail to be provided on aspects of the data.  He added that with Eurostat's COMEXT database, 
which was available online, it was possible for user s to formulate queries concerning the EC's imports 
from any given beneficiary country under all prefer ential schemes combined.  For countries benefiting 
from only one of the EC's preferential schemes, howev er, the data would relate to preferential imports 
under that scheme.   
15. The representative of Pakistan  said that part of the reason why this item remained on the 
CTD's agenda was because her de legation had been waiting for written responses from the EC.  The 
responses had now been received, but they did not a ppear to be satisfactory.  Her delegation was open 
to further engagement on this matter, and would shor tly be sending to the EC its considered reaction 
to the EC's responses.  
16. The Chairman  said that he would continue with his informal consultations, and would report 
back to the CTD at the next meeting.  The item would, therefore, remain on the CTD's agenda.   
17. It was so agreed .  WT/COMTD/M/68 
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  - COMMUNICATION FROM THE UNITED STATES ON THE NOTIFICATION BY CHINA OF THE 
AMENDMENT TO THE FIRST AGREEMENT ON TRADE NEGOTIATIONS AMONG DEVELOPING MEMBER COUNTRIES OF THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMISSION FOR ASIA AND THE PACIFIC 
(BANGKOK AGREEMENT ) (WT/COMTD /62/ADD.1) 
18. The Chairman  recalled that China, on behalf of the Participating States of the Asia-Pacific 
Trade Agreement (APTA), had introduced a notification at the 65th Session of the CTD concerning 
the Amendment to the First Agreement on Trade Negotiations Among Developing Member Countries 
of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (Bangkok Agreement).  A communication from the United States raising questi ons on the notification had subsequently been 
circulated in document WT/COMTD/62/Add.1.  He r ecalled that oral responses to the questions were 
provided by China and Korea at the last CTD meet ing.  Written responses to the questions had now 
been received from China.  The responses were subm itted to the Secretariat on 29 February 2008, and 
had been placed at the back of the room.  He invited China to introduce the responses. 
19. The representative of the China
, on behalf of the Participati ng States of APTA, thanked the 
United States for the questions and for the interest  shown in the agreement.  He also thanked the 
United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) – the 
Secretariat of the agreement – for its assistance in  preparing the responses.  He explained that the 
delay in providing the responses was due to the deta iled and technical nature of the questions and the 
need to coordinate the responses between the APTA member countries.  He said that he wished to 
emphasize that APTA was not a new agreement,  but was an amendment to the existing Bangkok 
Agreement.  He expressed the hope that the res ponses appropriately addressed the concerns of the US 
with regard to the agreement.    
20. The representative of the United States  thanked China and the APTA Participating States for 
the responses.  Her delegation appreciated the ti me it took to coordinate the responses among the 
member countries.  She noted that the responses had just been provided and th at her delegation had, 
therefore, not had the opportunity to review them.  She requested that this item remain on the CTD's 
agenda.   
21. The Chairman  said that this item would remain on the agenda for the next CTD meeting.   
22. It was so agreed . 
D. DECLINING TERMS OF TRADE FOR PRIMARY COMMODITIES , AND ITS IMPLICATION TO TRADE 
AND DEVELOPMENT OF PRIMARY COMMODITY EXPORTING COUNTRIES  
23. The Chairman  recalled that it had been agreed at the last CTD meeting that he would consult 
with Members to get a better idea as to how th e Committee could continue to add value in its 
discussion on commodities.  In this regard, he info rmed the Committee that he had consulted with a 
number of Members on the matter.  He was aware that some Members were working to explore ways in which the CTD could continue to add value under  this agenda item.  He said that he generally 
encouraged proposals from Members in this regard, e ither at the present meeting or after the meeting. 
24. He also drew Members' attention to the upc oming UNCTAD XII conference, which would be 
held in Accra, Ghana.  He believed that the confer ence was an important event in the context of the 
present agenda item, since commodities would be a topic of discussion.  He recalled that UNCTAD 
had contributed on several occasions to the CTD's wo rk on commodities, and tr usted that delegations 
would be following the deliberations at UNCTAD XI I.  He invited the representative of UNCTAD to 
say a few words on the context of the commod ities discussion at the upcoming conference.   WT/COMTD/M/68 
Page 6  
 
  25. The representative of UNCTAD
 said that she wished to brief the Committee on the  
commodities interactive roundtable that would take place at UNCTAD XII.  The theme of the roundtable was "The changing face of commodities in the 21
st century".  The focus would be on 
recent developments in commodity markets – in part icular the recent boom in commodity prices – and 
the long-term prospects for commodities as an engine  of growth in commodity-dependent countries.  
In this context, the conference was expected  to agree on actions to address long-standing 
commodity-related trade and development problems, as well as challenges in harnessing development gains from the current boom.  The focus would be on key aspects of the international policy environment which could facilitate the integration of commodity-dependent countries into the global 
economy.  This would include trade policies and rules with regard to market a ccess, tariff escalation, 
subsidies and competition issues, as well as is sues relating to commodity supply chains and 
processing.  The roundtable would also address the matter of financial policies affecting the 
availability of resources to finance commodity-dependent countries. 
26. The Chairman
 said that he was always open to hear suggestions from Members as to how the 
CTD could continue to add value under this agenda item.  He proposed that he continue his informal 
consultations with a view to concretizing a wa y forward for the CTD on the commodities issue. 
27. It was so agreed .   
E. DECISION ON TRANSPARENCY FOR PREFERENTIAL TRADE ARRANGEMENTS (WT/L/672) 
28. The Chairman  said that the 14 December 2006 Gene ral Council Decision on "Transparency 
for Preferential Trade Arrangements" – contai ned in document WT/L/672 – invited the CTD to 
consider transparency for preferential arrangement s under paragraph 2 of the Enabling Clause – other 
than RTAs – and report back within six months fo r appropriate action by th e General Council.  The 
General Council had extended the deadline to its July 2008 meeting.  He recalled that in his report to 
the General Council in December 2007, he had info rmed the Council of the progress that had been 
made on the matter.  He had in pa rticular reported on the "non-paper"  that the proponents – Brazil and 
India – had circulated as document JOB(07)/142 in October 2007, and on the discussion that had 
taken place on the non-paper in the formal CTD that same month.  He had also informed the Council 
that he had subsequently held an informal cons ultation with some Members in November 2007 to 
consider a more complete draft text prepared by Brazil and India.    
29. He now wished to further inform the Committee that the draft text by Brazil and India had 
been revised based on the comments made at the in formal consultation in November 2007.  He said 
that he had held another informal consultation the previous week with  some Members to consider this 
revised draft text.  The informal consultation had proved very useful, as it had allowed for a first 
detailed discussion of the content of the text.  He  informed the Committee that he planned to hold 
further informal consultations as necessary before the next formal CTD meeting.  When he believed 
the time was right, his aim was to have the matter discussed fully in an informal, open-ended format.  
He invited the proponents, Brazil and India, to take the floor. 
30. The representative of Brazil  said that good progress had been made on this matter. He 
expressed the hope that the CTD could now move  speedily to a positive conclusion of its 
consideration of transparency for preferential tr ade arrangements (PTAs), a nd report to the General 
Council as required.  He called on all Members to show the necessary commitment and engagement to 
allow a satisfactory outcome to  the CTD's consideration of the matter.   
31. The representative of India  expressed his support for the intervention by Brazil.  His 
delegation looked forward to working with Memb ers to establish an appropriate transparency 
mechanism for PTAs.  WT/COMTD/M/68 
 Page 7 
 
 
  32. The Chairman  inquired whether any other Member wished to take the floor.   
33. The representative of the United States  said that the US had a longstanding commitment to 
transparency.  Her delegation believed that an ag reed framework for the provision of information on 
PTAs would yield important systemic benefits.  Sh e informed the Committee th at the US planned to 
join Brazil and India as a co-sponsor of the proposal.   
34. The representative of the European Communities  said that though the EC shared the 
objectives of the proposed transparen cy mechanism for PTAs, it had a number of concerns relating to 
the burden to notifying Members that was implied in the proponents' draft text.  Her delegation was, 
nevertheless, ready to remain i nvolved and engaged, and had been participating in the Chairman's 
informal consultations.  She noted that there were  a number of parallels between the Transparency 
Mechanism for Regional Trade Agreements and th e proposed PTA transparency mechanism, and 
expressed the view that there should be a ba lance between the two mechanisms.      
35. The representative of Japan  said that his delegation shared the objectives of the proposed 
transparency mechanism for PTAs.  Japan had been participating in discussions on this matter in both 
formal and informal settings, and look ed forward to continuing to do so. 
36. The representative of Brazil  expressed appreciation to the US for its intention to co-sponsor 
the proposal by Brazil and India.  He believed that  it was this type of commitment and engagement 
that would allow the CTD to fulfil its mandate. 
37. The representative of India  said that his delegation welcomed the initiative of the US to 
co-sponsor the proposal by Brazil and India.  The base of co-sponsorship would now be extended to 
cover not only some of the largest beneficiaries of GSP schemes, but also a country that was a 
provider of one of the largest GSP schemes.  His de legation was confident that this would lend both 
weight and value to the proposal under discussion.         
38. The Chairman  reiterated his intention to continue to  hold informal consultations as necessary 
before the next formal CTD meeting.  When he be lieved the time was right, he would have the matter 
discussed in an informal, open-ended format.  He sa id that this item would remain on the agenda for 
the next CTD meeting. 
39. It was so agreed . 
F. REVIEW OF STEPS T AKEN TO PROVIDE DUTY -FREE AND QUOTA -FREE MARKET ACCESS TO 
LEAST -DEVELOPED COUNTRIES  
40. The Chairman  said that an item concerning the Hong Kong Ministerial Decision on duty-free 
and quota-free (DFQF) market access for least-dev eloped countries (LDCs) had been on the CTD's 
agenda since early 2006.  Under this item, delega tions had provided inform ation on the steps they 
were taking, or had already taken, to provide DF QF market access to LDCs.  Written communications 
by some Members had also been considered.  He r ecalled that the CTD had to date undertaken two of 
its mandated annual reviews of the implementati on of the Hong Kong Ministerial Decision. He 
inquired whether any Member wished to take the floor. 
41. The representative of Bangladesh  said that most developed count ries were already providing  
DFQF market access to LDCs as per the Hong Kong Ministerial Decision.  One developed country 
was currently undergoing a process of internal consulta tions to implement the Decision. He noted that 
the earlier Members were informed of  the results of the internal consultations in this country, the 
better could exporters in LDCs pr epare themselves.  He, therefore,  urged a completion of internal 
procedures as soon as possible, and also asked that th e CTD be kept informed.  In addition, he urged WT/COMTD/M/68 
Page 8  
 
  developing countries to declare themselves in a positi on to provide DFQF market access to LDCs, and 
to provide this market access as soon as possible.         
42. The representative of India
 said that his delegation suppor ted the LDC position regarding 
early implementation of DFQF market access and full coverage by the end of the implementation period of the Doha Round.  He said that India had already announced that it was ready to offer DFQF 
market access in a progressive manner on a very large proportion of products from LDCs.  His 
delegation expected to shortly make a deta iled announcement regarding India's scheme. 
43. The representative of China
 said that his delegation fully sh ared the concerns of LDCs on the 
DFQF issue.  China was making efforts bilaterally  to provide DFQF market access on the products 
that LDCs had the capacity to export to China.  He was pleased to inform the Committee that his 
delegation would be providing information under the next agenda item on some of the latest 
developments in China's bilateral efforts in the c ontext of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation.    
44. The Committee took note  of all interventions. 
G. LATEST DEVELOPMENTS OF MEASURES WITHIN  THE FRAMEWORK OF THE FORUM ON CHINA -
AFRICA COOPERATION (FOCAC ) (WT/COMTD /W/164) 
45. The Chairman  said that a communication had been received from China concerning recent 
measures taken within the framework of the Fo rum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC).  The 
communication had been circulated in document WT /COMTD/W/164.  He invited China to introduce 
the communication. 
46. The representative of China  said that his delegation had since the end of 2006 been keeping 
Members posted on developments taking place within  the framework of the FOCAC.  Relevant 
measures, which had the objective of forging a new type of China-Africa strategic partnership, had 
been announced by the Chinese President Hu Jintao at the opening ceremony of the Beijing Summit of the Forum.  These measures – which included aid, exemption from debt, DFQF market access, 
education and infrastructure construction provided by China – were directly or indirectly related to 
trade enhancement and capacity building for African developing countries.  They were 
complementary to the efforts of the WTO to make development objectives a reality.  
47. He said that bilateral aid agreements were  signed with 47 African countries, while debt 
cancellation protocols were signed with 32 African countries.  Duty-free and quota-free market access 
was provided to 27 LDCs having dipl omatic relations with China.  In addition, 5,931 professionals 
from Africa – including in the trade-related areas – were trained, and 2,700 government scholarships 
were provided to African students.  He also in formed the Committee that  the first Agricultural 
Technology Demonstration Centre was established, and official letters to establish 58 rural schools 
were exchanged.  These activities had been carried out  in only half the committed time.  While China 
and Africa had implemented half of their mutual commitments with satisfactory results, it was even more satisfactory to note that su ch cooperation had brought mutual benefits to China and Africa.  
Trade in goods between China and Africa reached US$73.55 billion in 2007, registering a more than 
30 per cent increase over 2006, and making China the third largest trading partner of Africa. 
48. He continued by saying that the FOCAC was ju st one example of China's partnership with 
other developing countries in seeking common development.  Similar measures had also been formulated and implemented on a bilateral basis w ith developing countries in Asia, Latin America and 
the Pacific.  China would continue to intensify its  cooperation efforts with other developing countries 
in order to promote common development. 
49. The Chairman
 opened the floor for questions and comments.  WT/COMTD/M/68 
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  50. The representative of the European Communities  welcomed the increased trade flows 
between China and Africa that had been observed in recent years.  He also welcomed more generally 
the positive trends in developing country trade and S outh-South trade.  He noted with appreciation the 
provision by China of DFQF market access to LDCs .  In this regard, he inquired whether further 
information could be provided on the DFQF product coverage, as well as on any conditions that LDCs 
might have to fulfil in order to benefit from DFQF  access to the Chinese market.  With regard to the 
bilateral aid agreements signed between China and a number of African countries, he wondered 
whether any information could be provided on the t ype of aid being provided, for example the relative 
proportions of grants and loans in the agreements, and whether any conditions were attached.      
51. The representative of Bangladesh  expressed appreciation for the initiatives being taken by 
China to provide DFQF market access to LDCs.  He confirmed that trade between China and LDCs 
had increased recently, including in some categories of manufactured goods.  He said that he wished 
to take the opportunity to request China to broade n the coverage of products on which DFQF market 
access was offered to LDCs.  This would allow access to the Chinese market to be even more 
meaningful to the LDCs.   
52. The representative of China  thanked the EC and Bangladesh for their interventions.  He said 
that the questions raised by the EC would be tr ansmitted to his capital.  Any further information 
would be shared with the EC on a bilateral basis.     
53. The Committee took note  of the communication from China and of all interventions. 
H. ELECTION OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE SUB -COMMITTEE ON LEAST -DEVELOPED COUNTRIES  
54. The Chairman  said that he had been informed that consultations had led to the proposal for 
Ambassador Jean Feyder of Luxembourg to serve fo r another year as Chairman of the Sub-Committee 
on LDCs.  He asked whether this was acceptable to Members. 
55. It was so agreed . 
56. The Chairman  said that it was a great pleasure for him to welcome Ambassador Feyder to 
serve for another year as the Chairman of the S ub-Committee on LDCs.  Ambassador Feyder had vast 
experience in development issues.  He was long responsible for developm ent cooperation in his 
country, and this experience was valuable for the work of the Sub-Committee on LDCs.  The 
numerous posts he had occupied in his career incl uded Permanent Representa tive of Luxembourg to 
the European Union and Permanent Representati ve of Luxembourg to the United Nations in 
New York.  He currently served as Ambassador a nd Permanent Representative of Luxembourg to the 
United Nations Office, the International Organizations and the WTO in Geneva. 
57. The Chairman of the Sub-Committee on LDCs  thanked Members for the trust they had placed 
in him.  He said that he would make every effort to fulfil his responsibilities as Chairman of the Sub-Committee.  Issues of priority to LDCs woul d continue to be treated in the Sub-Committee.  
These included issues relating to market access, tech nical assistance and capacity building, and the 
accession of LDCs to the WTO.  He added that the Ambassador of Lesotho would shortly be 
providing to the Sub-Committee a briefing on the recent LDC Trade Ministers' meeting which had 
taken place in Maseru, Lesotho.  With regard to th e Maseru Ministerial Declaration, he noted that it 
not only covered issues directly linked to the Do ha Round, but also more general trade-related 
concerns of LDCs.  He indicated that the S ub-Committee would make efforts to address these 
concerns.         
58. The representative of Bangladesh
 thanked Ambassador Feyder fo r having agreed to continue 
as Chairman of the Sub-Committee on LDCs.  He said that Ambassador Fe yder had a profound WT/COMTD/M/68 
Page 10  
 
  understanding of the problems and concerns of LD Cs.  He expressed appreciation for the initiatives 
taken by Ambassador Feyder to address the i ssues of particular interest to LDCs.  
59. The representative of Senegal
 welcomed Ambassador Feyder back as Chairman of the 
Sub-Committee on LDCs.  He expressed appreciati on for Ambassador Feyder's commitment to the 
issues of interest to LDCs.  He assured Ambassador Feyder of his delegation's support for the work of 
the Sub-Committee.    
60. The representative of the European Communities  congratulated Ambassador Feyder on his 
re-election as Chairman of the Sub-Committee on LDCs. 
I. ELECTION OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE CTD  
61. The Chairman  said that the General Council at its m eeting on 6 February had announced the  
Chairpersons for 2008.  It was with great pleasure that he had accepted to serve as Chairman of the 
CTD for another year.  He thanked Members for the confidence they had placed in him, and said that 
he would continue in his efforts to move forw ard the work of the CTD in Regular Session and 
Dedicated Session on Small Economies, as well as the CTD's work on Aid for Trade. 
62. The Committee elected  Ambassador Servansing as Chairman of the CTD for 2008. 
63. The representative of Barbados , on behalf of the small, vulne rable economies, welcomed the 
Chairman's re-election.  He commended the Chairm an for the manner in which he had led the CTD's 
Regular Session and Dedication Session on Small Economies over the past year, and expressed willingness to continue working with the Chairman.      
J. 
OTHER BUSINESS  
64. No matter was raised under "Other Business". 
65. The meeting was adjourned . 
 
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