. /.  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION   
WT/MIN(11)/ST/116 
17 December 2011 
 (11-6867) 
MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE 
Eighth Session Geneva, 15 - 17 December 2011 Original:   English 
 
  
MACAO, CHINA 
 
Statement Circulated by Mr Francis TAM Pak Yuen 
Secretary for Economy and Finance 
 
 
Our delegation is delighted to participate in this Eighth Session of the Ministerial Conference 
of the WTO.  On behalf of our government, I w ould like to thank the Swiss Government for their 
warm hospitality and the WTO Secretariat for their excellent organization of this important event. 
 
Two years ago, we gathered here for the Seventh Ministerial Conference amid the 
repercussions of the global financial crisis of  2008.  At present, although the world economy shows 
signs of steady improvement, the nascent crisis has again loomed risks to the global economic outlook. This is further exacerbated by the trend of trade protectionism, which has been a subject 
rising to prominence in the international trading environment.   
 
Indeed, these challenges repeatedly remind us of the importance of coordinated action, the 
need for multilateral rules and how best the rules- based multilateral trading system has served us 
through all these years, whereby Members enjoy predic tability and transparency in trade.  Therefore, 
the WTO should further perform its role to sustain trade liberalization and l ead the way to economic 
recovery during these difficult times. In this regard, Macao, China wishes to reaffirm our 
commitments to keep trade flowing and trade opportunities open, with our firm support to the 
multilateral trading system.  
Macao, China notes that advancing the WTO and strengthening its role  and function is the 
key to drive international trade and economic gr owth and development, particularly for the 
developing and least developed countries.  Henc eforth, the WTO Members embarked upon the Doha 
Round of negotiations in 2001, with the aim to a ddress the specific needs of  the developing Members 
that make up about two thirds of the 153 membersh ip, and help them integrate into the multilateral 
trading system.  
 
However, the international economic and trad e environment has changed over the recent 
decade, and WTO Members could not conclude th e Doha Round as they had expected. Yet we  
strongly believe that  successful conclusion of the Round  lies at the political will and positive engagement from all Members in demonstrating more  flexibility to bridge the differences, with due 
consideration in responding to the needs and  inte rests  of the developing country Members, in 
particular the least developed among them.   
Macao, China further believes that the advant age of a balanced outcome in all areas of 
negotiation in the DDA will encompa ss every Member and reiterates its readiness to work with all 
Members to achieve a successful conclusion of the Doha Round. In this connection, Macao, China 
notes the benefits of Aid for Trade Initiative, tec hnical assistance and the Special and Differential WT/MIN(11)/ST/116 
Page 2  
 
  Treatment to the developing countries and calls for th eir continuation and further strengthening of this 
meaningful work.    
Last but not the least, we would like to welcome and congratulate the accession of new 
Members to the WTO.  With the accession of more countries, we believe that the WTO will become 
stronger and efficacious in its role  to foster development of all Me mbers. Macao, China looks forward 
to working with the new Members and a uni versal WTO membership in the future. 
  
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