. /.  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION   
WT/MIN(11)/ST/5 
15 December 2011 
 (11-6538) 
MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE 
Eighth Session Geneva, 15 - 17 December 2011 Original:   Spanish 
 
  
CHILE 
 
Statement by H.E. Mr Jorge Bunster 
Deputy Minister of Foreign Trade 
   I should like to begin by congratulating the new Members that are joining this Organization:  the Russian Federation, Montenegro, Samoa and Va nuatu.  The Russian Federation is an important 
trading partner of Chile, both at the bilateral le vel and in APEC.  Its accession to the WTO coincides 
with APEC Russia 2012, which, we hope, will give an  additional impetus to trade liberalization in the 
region. 
 The state that the Doha Round has been in for the last ten years and the many efforts that have 
been undertaken are a source of deep regret to  us.  Its objective was to improve the existing 
disciplines and achieve greater and better market access for goods and services, especially for the 
developing countries, with particular focus on agriculture. 
 However, the Doha Round has not been the only  effort at trade liberalization undertaken by 
the countries:  during the last decade we have see n a proliferation of bilateral and regional trade 
agreements.  As at 11 November this year 390 had been notified to the WTO, while we know that 
there are over 100 that had not been notified and over 70 that are currently being negotiated.  
This shows that the lack of progress in the Doha Round has not meant paralysis in the process of trade 
liberalization in the world.  On the contrary, trad e liberalization is continuing strongly and vigorously 
through these bilateral and regional agreements. 
 However, preferential agreements are not suffici ent.  Chile is a relatively small country in 
world trade.  Thus, we depend on international ru les, since it is such rules that attenuate the 
application of the law of the strongest in the worl d.  Hence, the great importance we attach to the 
WTO and its system of rules, and we are well aware that there are disciplines that can only be agreed 
multilaterally. 
 Unfortunately, Doha has not yet produced the re sults that we would have wished.  We have 
not been able to agree to prohib it subsidies that cause extensive environmental damage to fishing 
resources, and nor have we been able to improve  the anti-dumping measures in order to avoid the 
abuse that damages competitive exporters.  We have  not even been able to agree commitments on 
trade facilitation. 
 Consequently, in the areas of the Doha Round wh ere differences are substantive, we need to 
initiate a debate with fresh ideas in order to build bridges between the different actors.  If that means 
re-examining the mandate, so be it. 
 What we need to do now is to intensify the technical and detailed work in all the committees 
and working groups.  That includes a discussion of th e challenges which we are obliged to face in the WT/MIN(11)/ST/5 
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  present and which we will be required to face in the future.  We need a WTO that is vibrant, active 
and credible.  Its weakening would lead to a wor sening of the asymmetries that govern the economic 
relations between states. 
 Finally, in view of the current economic prospects, the risk of protectionist measures is high 
and there were, in fact, signs of that in the most recent WTO report. 
 It is for that reason that we wish to sh are in sending out a strong and clear call against 
protectionism. 
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