. /.  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  WT/MIN(05)/ST/14 
14 December 2005 
 (05-5941) 
MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE 
Sixth Session Hong Kong, 13 - 18 December 2005 Original:   English 
 
  
HONG KONG, CHINA 
 
Statement by Ms Denise Yue
 
Permanent Secretary for Commerce, Industry and Technology  
(Commerce and Industry ) 
 
  It is an honour for Hong Kong, China to host the Sixth Ministerial Conference of the 
World Trade Organization (WTO), and for myself to address its Plenary.  I would like to join the 
Chief Executive and the Trade Secretary of Hong Kong, China - who spoke yesterday - to welcome 
every WTO Member delegation to Kong Kong.  I wish you all an enjoyable and fruitful stay.   The launch of the Doha Development Agenda (DDA) is the most visionary and important 
undertaking of the WTO since its establishment ten y ears ago.  At the Fourth Ministerial Conference 
in Doha in 2001, we, the Membership of the WTO,  took up the challenge of formulating a broad and 
balanced programme of trade liberalization and development.  By doing so, we renewed our 
commitment, as enshrined in the Marrakesh Agreem ent Establishing the WTO, to reduce barriers to 
trade and eliminate discriminatory treatment in intern ational trade relations, with a view to optimizing 
the use of the world's resources for the purposes of gr owth and sustainable development.  In addition, 
we agreed to place the needs and interests of deve loping economies, particularly the least developed 
among us, at the heart of the progra mme, both in name and substance. 
  Four years on and a Ministerial Conference in between, the mission has yet to be accomplished.  This is of grave concern because the window for concluding the DDA is rapidly closing.  With the end of 2006 as the effective deadli ne, we must all do our utmost at this Ministerial 
Conference so that enough progress is made to comple te the final dash on the home straight.  And in 
spite of the disappointing but necessary tactical recalibration of ambition for this Conference, 
Hong Kong, China is encouraged that Members remain committed to the overall ambition for the 
DDA and to its successful conclusion.  Much is at stake:  the credibility and relevance of the WTO;  
the longer-term economic development of the world a nd - most importantly - the chance of helping to 
lift tens of millions of the world's citizens from poverty.  From Albania to Zimbabwe, we - the 
150 Members of
 the WTO -  will be held accountable by the world. 
  Hong Kong, China is a staunch supporter of the WTO and the rules-based multilateral trading 
system it represents.  Being a small economy with ha rdly any resources, trade is our lifeblood.  In 
2004, our merchandise trade alone exceeded three tim es our Gross Domestic Product.  To us, free and 
open trade is not just an academically sound propositi on, its welfare enhancing effect is borne out by 
fact, namely the phenomenal economic growth and soci al development of Hong Kong over the years.   
  Hong Kong, China would like to see tangible progress on all fronts of negotiations in this Ministerial Conference, in agriculture, NAMA, serv ices, as well as in rules, development and other 
areas. 
 WT/MIN(05)/ST/14 
Page 2  
 
  Without doubt, agriculture is the lynchpin.  Sadly, not enough progress has been made.  I 
hope Members will do their utmost in the negotiations  this week to achieve more inroads.  Although 
the political reality dictates that agriculture is - and w ill continue to be - the make or break issue of the 
DDA, I believe it need not be a stumbling block to  work in the other areas.  I believe at this 
Ministerial Conference, Members should push the enve lope as far as possible in all the other areas and 
lock in whatever results achieved , so that when further progress is made in agriculture, every other 
piece of the final jigsaw will have already been in  place.  Hong Kong, China's position on agriculture 
is clear:  we support the reduction and elimination of all trade-distorting and restrictive measures. 
  Development is the other key to the success of the DDA.  For DDA to live up to its name, the 
WTO Membership must redouble its efforts in this  area and concentrate on the needs and sensitivities 
of developing economies, including the least devel oped among them.  Deeds speak louder than words.  
Hong Kong, China has earlier put forward a five-poi nt development package for this Ministerial.  
Much work has already been done in Geneva, and an early harvest of this package is certainly within 
reach now.  We will work intensively with other Members in the coming few days with a view to 
clinching a development deal.  In the Hong Ko ng Ministerial, it is the time to deliver. 
  NAMA and services concern essentially the redu ction and elimination of market access 
barriers, the core business and competence of the WTO.  Hong Kong, China practices free
 and open 
trade.  We welcome imports from other places, and we want our goods and services to enjoy the same open and free access in the markets of others.  We support the reduction and elimination of all tariffs 
and other barriers to trade.  We will continue to  work together with other WTO Members to achieve 
an ambitious and balanced outcome  of negotiations under the DDA. 
  Rules represent challenges of a different kind.  They may be less visible than market access 
barriers but are of no less  importance.  They constitute the guara ntee of the multilateral trading system
 
in which international trade is conducted.  They  need to be couched tightly enough to secure 
commitments - not undermine them, to facilitate trad e - not impede it.  So the continued improvement 
of rules, in spite of the domestic political difficulti es of some Members, matters much to the credible 
conclusion of the DDA and the sustainability of the multilateral trading system.   The DDA negotiations hang in the balance.  It is  up to us, Members of the WTO, to tip the 
balance in the right direction by delivering a cred ible outcome in Hong Kong.  Hong Kong, China will 
do everything it can to encourage and facilitate this outcome.  
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