WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  WT/TPR/OV/M/7 
3 March 2010 
 (10-1156) 
Trade Policy Review Body 
22 January 2010  
 
 
OVERVIEW OF DEVELOPMENTS IN THE 
INTERNATIONAL TRADING ENVIRONMENT 
 
Record of the Meeting  
 
Chairperson:  H.E. Mr. Istvan Major (Hungary) 
 
 
INTRODUCTORY REMARKS BY THE CHAIRPERSON 
1. "The purpose of this meeting is for the TPRB to carry out its annual overview of 
developments in the international trading environm ent, as mandated by Paragr aph G in Annex 3 of the 
Marrakesh Agreement Establishing the WTO. 
2. The Annual Overview is to be assisted by a Report from the Director-General, which was 
circulated in document WT/TPR/OV/12 on 18 November 2009.  Under normal circumstances, we should have met in December, but due to the Mini sterial Conference we decided to postpone our 
meeting to January instead.  The amount and quality  of the information contained in the Director-
General's Report is impressive, and its  contents remain valid for our purpo se today.  It is true that at 
the Ministerial Conference Ministers already made substantive comments on the report.  There was indeed a strong message of support to the Secretariat's monitoring of trade measures, which was the basis for the preparation of the annual overview report .  It is now the responsibility of this Body to 
formally undertake the annual overview of trade developments which are having an impact on the 
multilateral trading system. 
3. I would suggest that we not only concentrat e on making comments on the Director-General's 
report, but that we also discuss about the way forward.   I am sure we all agree that the Secretariat's 
regular monitoring of trade measures over the past year was very useful and has served a valid purpose.  This exercise should continue, but maybe with less frequency than last year.  I also 
understand that some delegations have proposed th at the WTO Secretariat conduct a systematic and 
comprehensive analysis on the effects of stimulus programmes implemented in response to the 
financial crisis.  Your views on all these issues , and on how to further improve the monitoring 
exercise will help the Secretariat better manage this process." 
INTRODUCTORY REMARKS BY THE DIRECTOR GENERAL 
4. "Although we have started witnessing some encouraging news illustrating an economic 
recovery in many parts of the world, particularly in emerging countries, the world economy may not 
be entirely out of the global crisis yet.  Concer ns remain notably about the "bubbles" created by the 
huge injections of money used to keep the financ ial systems operating.  We may have reached the 
bottom of the crisis, but the speed at which we are em erging out of it is not yet clear.  In flooding the 
economic and financial system with  public money we have also created bubbles which will have to be 
absorbed.   
5. Concerted and coordinated actions at a global  scale are needed to make sure that the 
preliminary encouraging signs of recovery be consolid ated and spread to the rest of the world.  Trade WT/TPR/OV/M/7 
Page 2  
 
has its part to play in firmly anchoring economic  recovery. One way of injecting more stability and 
predictability to world markets and paving the road  to a more sustained recovery is through the 
successful conclusion of the Doha Development Round.   I know that this TPRB meeting is not about 
the ongoing trade negotiations, but we cannot overem phasize the need to conclude, once and for all, 
these negotiations.  Members will have the opportunity in the coming months to take a hard look at 
where we are, and at how we move the DDA towards a safe landing. 
6. Let me now make a few comments about this  meeting introducing the TPRB Annual Report 
on the Overview of Developments in the Internati onal Trading Environment, which was circulated to 
all Members and Observers on 18 November 2009.  This Overview draws on the information 
contained in the regular monitoring reports presente d to you in this same body throughout the past 
year.  As you know, the Annual Overview report was already the subject of discussions at the last 
Ministerial Conference.  At the end of that Conf erence, the Chairman in his summary noted that 
Ministers had a wide-ranging discussion on enhancing the institutional effectiveness of the WTO, and 
agreed that its monitoring and an alytical work was of particular value in helping to stave off 
protectionist responses to the global crisis.   
7. Today, I will structure my intervention along four points related to the main trade 
developments over the past year:  first, the mon itoring of trade measures; second, notifications and 
transparency; third, Regional Trade Agreements;  and fourth the Trade Policy Review Mechanism. 
(1) Monitoring 8. When reviewing the key developments affecting the international trading system in 2009, the 
main issue in our minds is obviously the impact of the global financial crisis, and the steps taken by 
governments to overcome the crisis.  The size and suddenness of the global crisis could have sparked 
a severe protectionist response, but that did not happen in 2009.  Although there have been a number of instances of slippage, in general terms, the world economy is about as open for trade today as it 
was before the crisis started. 
9. The monitoring of trade measures over the past  year has revealed that no Member has 
retreated into widespread trade restrictions or tr ade retaliation. This illustrates the resilience of the 
multilateral trading system and how it has served as a useful insurance policy against a resurgence of 
protectionism.   
10. During this period, many Members have impl emented measures to open up their economies 
and encourage the expansion of their trade and inve stment flows.  Some did it as a deliberate policy 
response to help deal with the negative effects of  the crisis, and others as a continuation of their 
national or regional programmes. 
11. Some of the instances of slippages have attracted  a lot of press coverage.  We are also aware 
that some observers have tended to paint a bleak  picture out of it.  But, based on our regular 
monitoring, we are of the view that protecti onism did not get out of control.  There are 
methodological differences between our monitoring ex ercise and other initiatives.  We have based our 
reports on verified facts, and we have covered trad e measures that have been implemented and are in 
place.  The accuracy and solidity of  our information is also the result of your contribution to the 
monitoring exercise through the provision of relevant information and the subsequent verification of 
the reported measures. 
12. But, we should remain vigilant.  The long-term impact of the global crisis will still be felt in 
2010, in particular in the labour market of ma ny economies around the world.  The recent global 
economic recovery may seem to be f aster and stronger than expected, but  we are of the view that there 
are still risks for its sustainability.   WT/TPR/OV/M/7 
Page 3 
 
 
13. The additional transparency provided by the regular monitoring of trade actions helped the 
multilateral system to shed light on relevant polic y developments during particularly difficult times.  
There is no other international body with the same capacity, impartiality and legitimacy to do the 
monitoring of trade actions.  This was amply recogn ized by Ministers at our Ministerial Conference 
last December.  I therefore intend to continue to  prepare regular monitoring reports, maybe with less 
frequency than last year.  In this respect I would s uggest that for this year the next report to the TPRB 
be prepared for June and a second one for November.   
(2) Notifications 14. The Annual Overview contains a whole section on transparency and notifications.  Further to 
a letter from the Chair of the General Council, significant steps have been taken by all WTO bodies to 
improve the implementation of notification requirements and stimulate a more up-to-date and 
comprehensive flow of information among Members a bout recent trade developments.  More needs to 
be done in this area in 2010 to strengthen our monitoring and surve illance capacities and I believe that 
chairs of regular bodies should now step up the effort s they started in 2009. This also includes a better 
interoperability of our different data bases, wh ich is an issue we are now also looking into 
horizontally within the Secretariat. The experience  of last year has demonstrated the value of 
improving transparency and collectively monitoring tr ade developments based on proper information.  
(3) RTAs 15. Another important factor for the trading system in 2009 was Member's continued active 
engagement in bilateral and regiona l trade agreements.  Close to 200 RTAs have been notified to the 
WTO so far.  Clearly, RTAs have become an importa nt part of the global trade architecture.  When 
the multilateral system does not move fast enough in opening markets, the temptation to opt for 
regional alternatives increases.  The Transparency  Mechanism for RTAs that Members agreed to 
implement on a provisional basis in 2007 is helping to shed light on their main features.  However, the notification record remains unsatisfactory.   
16. More can be made of the Transparency Mechanism to enable the WTO to engage 
constructively with RTAs and to explore how the multilateral trading system can assimilate the trade 
gains they are achieving.  Developing a more comp rehensive and deeper unders tanding of all RTAs in 
existence would allow Members to reflect on how RT As could be encouraged to converge towards the 
multilateral system from an economic and commercial point of view, and I believe that we should 
work along these lines in 2010. 
(4) 20
th Anniversary of the TPRM 
17. As you know, the Trade Policy Review Mechanism has been in operation for 20 years.  Since 
its first review meeting held in December 1989,  the TPRB has conducted 305 trade policy reviews 
covering 136 WTO Members.  I am sure you will a ll agree that this mechanism has served well the 
multilateral trading system, and has become one of the pillars of our system.  In its 20 years of existence, the mechanism has evol ved considerably to maintain its  effectiveness and to take into 
account the expanding membership of the WTO, the wider scope and increasing depth of the 
multilateral agenda, and the growing comple xity of trade-related measures.   
18. The TPRM must continue evolving to meet its objectives, and I trust delegations share this 
point of view.  We should use the 20
th Anniversary of the TPRM to reflect on how the mechanism can 
be further enhanced. 
19. To conclude, I would like to stress that the Annual Overview Report and the monitoring 
reports prepared throughout last year aim to cont ribute to improving the multilateral transparency of 
trade policies.  This exercise has proved to be of  crucial importance for the multilateral system, in WT/TPR/OV/M/7 
Page 4  
 
particular during difficult times.  Its continuation will strengthen the WTO and will provide valuable 
up-to-date information to all Members and Observer Governments.  To be relevant and useful, the 
monitoring exercise needs to be carried out at regular intervals and to be based on accurate 
information from Members that is as comprehensive as possible. 
20. Finally, I would like to inform Members that the WTO Secretariat, in cooperation with the 
Secretariats of the OECD and UNCTAD, is in the process of preparing a second monitoring report on 
trade and investment measures taken by G20 Members, as requested at the last G20 Leaders Summit in Pittsburgh in September 2009.  Th is report should be available sometime in early March.  In the 
interest of transparency a copy of this repor t will be made available to all WTO Members." 
SUMMARY OF THE MAIN POINTS RAISED BY MEMBERS 
21. Members welcomed the trade policy monitoring  exercise undertaken by the WTO and agreed 
to maintain it as a regular exercise under the TPRB transparency mandate . The trade monitoring 
reports prepared by the WTO Secretariat were recognized as useful documents which presented a 
comprehensive and valuable picture of the current  situation and challenges faced by the multilateral 
trading system, in particular during the recent peri od of crisis.  Members supported the proposal that 
two monitoring reports be prepared in 2010 (June a nd November), covering also the trade measures of 
non-WTO Members.  
22. Members appreciated the role played by the monitoring exercise in deterring protectionism.  
The WTO provided a strong platform on which to build political responses to resist domestic protectionist pressures, as well as an insurance po licy against trade restriction and discrimination. 
They recommended the Secretariat continue con ducting joint crisis-related studies with other 
international organizations. 
23. Members welcomed the resilience of the multilatera l trading system at a time of severe global 
economic crisis and congratulated those governme nts that showed determination in resisting 
protectionist calls.  However, they also recognized that in some cases trade restricting measures were 
taken which would delay sustaina ble economic recovery.  They ca lled for those measures to be 
removed as soon as possible and highlighted the need to  remain vigilant.  In general, Members were 
pleased to note that although some "low-intensi ty protectionist slippage" took place, the global 
economy remained overall as open as it was before the crisis. 
24. There was a general view that although, enc ouraging economic news was being registered 
more recently, the global economic a nd financial crisis was not yet ove r and that there was a need to 
remain vigilant regarding trade protectionism, in particular given the serious difficulties in labour 
markets.  Many noted that economic stimulus  packages were still needed at this stage. 
25. Exit strategies to remove trade restrictions a nd production subsidies introduced temporarily to 
counteract the effects of the crisis needed to be carefully designed and planned. Members also 
recognized the role played by th ese packages to mitigate the adver se consequences of the crisis.  
Some of them referred to a balanced and rapid conclusion of the DDA as the "international stimulus 
programme" par excellence.  A few delegations called for reform of financial regulatory systems, to 
avoid in the future similar speculative crises. 
26. Delegations stressed their opposition to all fo rms of protectionism. Many recognized that 
protectionist pressures were likely to persist as long as unemployment conditions continued to 
worsen.   
27. The negative impact of the global crisis on de veloping countries (i.e. GDP decline, reduced 
exports, lower FDI inflows, curtailed remitta nces, and declining tourism revenues) was WT/TPR/OV/M/7 
Page 5 
 
 
acknowledged. Many highlighted the fact that devel oping countries in their majority had not resorted 
to using protectionist measures. 
28. Some delegations expressed concerns about the use of trade-restricting measures by 
individual WTO Members.  They raised concerns about the increase of trade remedy investigations, 
as well as the inclusion of "buy local/nationa l" clauses in government procurement packages. 
29. A number of delegations praised the import ta riff reductions, as well as the trade facilitating 
measures, adopted by some Members during 2009.   Further trade opening measures were also 
announced for the current year.   
30. Some delegations suggested expanding the cove rage of the monitoring reports to include 
issues such as SPS and TBT measures.  A few delega tions raised concerns on the proliferation of 
private standards which could act as unfair barriers to trade. They welcomed the inclusion of this type 
of standards in the SPS work programme, and r ecommended the SPS Committee to clarify the scope 
and applicability of  the SPS Agreement vis-à-vis  private standards.  Some were of the view that non-
compliance with rulings of the Dispute Settleme nt Body should be included in the reports. 
31. The economic analysis included in the Annual Overview report of the factors that are 
susceptible to shape future trade developm ents was welcomed by many delegations. 
32. Certain delegations reiterated their request for a mo re in-depth analysis of the trade effects of 
the stimulus programmes granted by some other governments. Their proposal focussed on a dual 
approach, taking into consideration the automotiv e/steel and the banking/financial sub-sectors as a 
starting point for the Secretariat analysis. They sugg ested that the elements to be considered should 
include: (i) total amount disbursed for the specific sub-sector compared to other sectors; 
(ii) classification of the different types of aid gran ted or measure taken; (iii) percentage assigned to 
scrapping schemes and other types of support; (i v) identification of measures granting local 
content/production preferences; and (v) validity peri od of the measure.  They considered the amount 
of information publicly available as bei ng accurate enough to allow the analysis. 
33. Some delegations supported the re quest.  Some others also expressed support, but only for an 
analysis of the goods sector.  Some others were not convinced of the usefulness and feasibility of this 
additional work, due to lack of sufficient reliabl e information on the details of the financing and 
implementation of these packages.  Also, the ex ceptional economic circumstances meant that there 
was no general model to analyse the trade effects in isolation from the broad macro-economic effects of the programmes. They preferred that the analysis  be undertaken in other more suitable institutions 
which have technical expertise on the matter. 
34. Some delegations said that the analysis should be Member-lead. The core elements of the 
stimulus packages could be raised in the rele vant WTO bodies instead of requesting the WTO 
Secretariat to undertake analysis. If needed, more wo rk could then be requested from the Secretariat. 
The analysis should include the protectionist me asures already in place as well as the new ones. 
35. Certain delegations were concerned that very  few details of the stimulus packages were 
notified to the WTO and that there was limited re liable information on how they were actually being 
implemented.  
36. Members highlighted the importance of the Trade Policy Review Mechanism (TPRM), while 
recognizing at the same time that it could be furt her improved and streamlined, in particular on the 
analytical content of the reports and the review me etings. They suggested a "brain storming" debate, 
on the occasion of the 20
th Aniversary of the TPRM, with the possi ble inclusion of outside experts, in 
order to further enhance the Mechanism.  WT/TPR/OV/M/7 
Page 6  
 
37. Delegations stressed the importance of improving the record of notifications to various WTO 
Councils and Committees, and welcomed at the same  time the progress made in 2009 to enhance the 
relevant processes.  They suggested  that the issue of enhanced notif ication should remain a focus in 
each of the relevant WTO bodies.  
38. Members acknowledged the important role played  by Regional Trade Agreements (RTA) in 
the current multilateral trading system, and highlight ed the need to improve the notification record 
under the Transparency Mechanism. They also recognized the need to have a more focussed work 
programme on cross-cutting issues of RTAs in the Committee on RTAs.  
FINAL REMARKS BY THE DIRECTOR GENERAL 
39. "My remarks will cover three points.  First of all, how to improve the exercise in general;  
second, on the use of trade mechanisms;  and then finally on the more technical comments. 
40. On the first point, and many of you have referred to this matter, that is, how to improve these 
exercises in the future, I don't have  any precise answer to this.  It is something that you will have to 
discuss among you, but I think that the question can be looked at three levels.  First the data, second 
the analysis of these data, and finally, any conclu sions that may be drawn from the analysis of the 
data.  Regarding data, obviously progress can be made  – we just began last year, and I think we can 
do even better this year - in what is set down in the Agreements to which you have agreed, as well as 
in areas where some of you already do this, and quite rightly so – taking the initiative of going further 
in terms of communication of information regarding elements that influence trade, and also with 
regard to your obligations under the Agreements.  This is something that needs to be looked into in 
the relevant committees, within our system. 
41. As to analysis of these data, obviously this is wh at brings value-added to the information that 
you provide us and which we share with you, bu t we do inevitably end up with more qualitative 
considerations as was stated by the delegation of Ar gentina and the delegation of Ecuador.  Thus, this 
must go back to a forum for discussion, because, of  course, the Secretariat analyses which could be 
done on the standard of neutrality and quality which we  are constantly aware of, is not an analysis 
which is necessarily shared by all and thus needs to  be discussed in order for us to know where we 
stand. 
42. Finally, the third subject which for the time bei ng, at least in the context of the Trade Policy 
Reviews, has remained a bit on the fringes, this is  the conclusions that may be drawn from such an 
exercise.  What type of follow up or conclusion, and how could this, or should this become more 
operational?   
43. I think that we need to focus our attention on these three directions.  Now, of course, we all 
know that, in practice, it's not always easy to harm onise these exercises with other areas of activity 
within our system, particularly that the universe of  negotiations or of the dispute settlement.  We can 
say that this part of our activity is without pr ejudice to the rights or obligations that you have 
elsewhere.  This is a ritual repe tition of this statement and we all genuflect when necessary, but the 
actual fact is that the exercise and the upstream side  which is notifications, is somewhat imperfect and 
therefore you continue to take precautions, or measures which would concern information that you 
provide, due to the fact that you might think that – well, if I say this, it might be used against me at a certain time in the negotiations, or some well-versed  jurist may use this against me as well – and I 
think this is a reality we must recognize and it w ould be a good thing if you could all discuss this at 
some time. 
44. Second comment more to the point, on a question raised by many of you regarding the use of 
trade-defence mechanisms in this particular period.  Basically, this is the situation, and I'm talking 
about the most recent figures we have at hand on anti-dumping and an increase in investigations WT/TPR/OV/M/7 
Page 7 
 
 
opened – some 10% increase in 2009 ove r 2008.  So this is not too dram atic, but we don't yet have all 
the figures from the last quarter of 2009.  However, the third quarter had shown a certain upward trend.  On countervailing duties, a much more pronounced increase than in previous years, and 
safeguards – a clear increase here as well -, even th ough at this stage we have not exceeded the peaks 
we had in previous years, particularly in 2002.  Experience, and you have seen broad and detailed 
development of this in the World Trade Report from last year, the experience has shown that the use 
of trade-defence mechanisms is closely in correlati on to economic cycles.  When we are on the top of 
a cycle there are less;  at the bottom of the cycle there are more.  At this stage, the proportions we 
have seen remain within the type of forecast that c ould have been made in this crisis of what trade-
defence measures would have been, taken on the basis of  past experience.  At th is stage, if I look at 
the latest figures, there is no guarantee in saying that  we will stay within those statistical models of 
forecast – nothing is less certain.  So I think we do need to be vigilant in this area as this could also have an impact on what is happening in your co untries and in your capitals in this area.   
45. The third, and last comment, I have noted this figure of 700 protectionist measures which was 
publicised by an organization and I've seen this fi gure in the press as well, and various other places.  
We have checked up on this and our own assessment is that, technically speaking, this figure is rather 
limited in terms of reliability.  It's a classical case where good marketing does not always ensure good 
quality of the product." 
CONCLUDING REMARKS BY THE CHAIRPERSON 
46. "It is my sense that delegations fully endorse the continuation of the monitoring exercise on a 
regular basis;  we therefore invite the Director-G eneral to prepare for this year two monitoring 
reports: one in June and the second in November. 
47. Regarding the Argentinean proposal for a more systematic and comprehensive analysis of the 
effects of economic stimulus programmes, we ha ve heard the different arguments expressed by 
delegations and noticed that there still remain elem ents that would require further clarification among 
the interested parties.   Therefore I would like to suggest that we continue discussing this issue and try 
to find the ways to accommodate all concerns. 
48. Concerning the 20
th Anniversary of the Trade Policy Review Mechanism, I will hold informal 
consultations with interested de legations to explore ways in wh ich we can make improvements to 
both the substance and the process of the exercise, including data, the analysis, and the follow-up. 
49. On RTAs, I sense that there is support among the Membership for a more focused work 
programme on this issue, and I will suggest to the Chairman of the Committee on Regional Trade 
Agreements that he conducts c onsultations on how to take that work programme forward. 
50. Finally, I note the importance attached by  all Members to improving the record of 
notifications in the relevant Councils and Committees,  and I shall consult with the Chairman of the 
General Council on how we can best insure that this issue continues to be a focus in each of them." WT/TPR/OV/M/7 
Page 8  
 
ANNEX 
WRITTEN STATEMENTS BY MEMBERS
1 
ARGENTINA 
 
51. The Report summarizes the information gathered  over the course of 2009, thus giving us a 
clearer idea not only of how much we know but also  of how much we still need to know, especially as 
regards the non-traditional measures adopted as a response to the crisis. 
52. I would like to offer some brief comments on non-traditional measures, given that a proposal 
on the subject, tabled by Argentina, Ecuador and India, is currently under discussion in the General Council.  In view of the comments received, we think that it might be useful to share some 
additional considerations concerning this proposal with the rest of the Membership. 
53. As stated in the Report, in 2009 stimul us programmes in OECD countries averaged 
3.5 per cent of collective GDP (in concrete terms, th e amount injected in the United States and the EU 
was as high as US$20 trillion).  Given the magnitude of the figures, what worries us is that so far we have no proper analytical tools to assess the pot ential trade effects of measures of this kind. 
54. The Director-General's Report does acknowledge  (paragraphs 8 and 132-133) that for the 
time being there is not sufficient reliable informat ion for us to have ad equate knowledge of the 
possible effects on trade and notes that the Secret ariat needs further guidance from Members on the 
methodology that should be followed when undertaking such an analysis. 
55. Both issues were taken into account in the pr oposal submitted by Argentina, Ecuador and 
India at the General Council meeting last December (WT/GC/W/609).  This communication 
emphasized the need for a two-level focus:  the fi rst would involve increasing the quantity and quality 
of available information.  This could be done for example through a higher level of disaggregation of 
the data contained in the Annexes to the Director-General's Annual Report. 
56. The second level would involve analysing the information in question.  The idea proposed to 
Members was that the Secretariat should apply a quality-oriented methodology similar to the 
satisfactory method used for analysing traditional measures (tariffs, quotas, export subsidies), which 
could easily be adapted for the purposes of stimulus programmes. 
57. Along the above lines, we would like to suggest that work begin with the two sectors 
highlighted in the Report (WT/TPR/OV/12) as having received the largest amounts of funding over the past year, that is, the automotive and banking sect ors.  Both sectors are specifically addressed in 
the Director-General's various reports, and there are data verified by Members (Annexes II and III) 
that can be used as a starting point. 
58. I would like to take the automotive sector as an example.  The Annual Report provides 
specific data (paras. 135-137, Table 6 and Annex II) on financial support granted to the sector.  This 
could serve as a basis for work to improve information, taking the following elements into consideration: 
59. Estimate of the total amounts granted for the sector and comparison with those received by 
other sectors.  Classification of the various forms of support for the automotive sector.  Determination 
of the proportion allocated to scrapping schemes a nd the amount assigned to other types of support.  
Identification of those programme components that  could potentially constitu te discrimination in 
                                                     
 
1 This Annex contains the statements made by thos e delegations which submitted their written texts to 
the Secretariat for inclusion into the Record of the Meeting. WT/TPR/OV/M/7 
Page 9 
 
 
favour of domestic producers.  De termination of the anticipated dur ation of the various forms of 
support for the sector. 
60. A similar task could be undertaken for the ba nking sector and the financial system, taking into 
consideration the proposal by Argentina, Ecuador, India and South Africa that is currently under 
discussion in the Committee on Financial Services. 
61. While transparency enhancement is under way,  the Secretariat could already begin its 
analytical task on the basis of the elements available so far.  We intend to continue working both here 
and in the General Council in order to secure agre ement on a work scheme that will give us a better 
insight into the various measures adopted in response to the crisis. 
JAPAN 
62. Japan appreciates the initiative of the DG and th e devotion of his staff for monitoring trade-
related measures. The multilateral trading system, with the WTO at its centre, works well and has 
prevented a serious situation which could have b een otherwise caused by trade restrictive measures. 
63. At present, we see signs of the world economy having hit the bottom. But with the 
unemployment rates remaining high, we share the con cerns of the Secretariat over an increase in the 
initiation of trade remedy investigations by em erging economies and by developed countries and over 
the prolongation of trade-distorting measures.  
64. We also agree with the Secretariat that stimul us programmes, in particular with “Buy Local” 
requirements, could distort international competition. 
65. In this context, on the improvement of transpar ency, the first element of the proposal initiated 
by Argentina and Equator, we think it important for the TPRB, in cooperation with other relevant 
bodies, to proceed with discussions on how to improve notifications.  
66. In addition, it is becoming more and more important to follow up exit strategies, and to 
discuss in the TPRB how to do so. We are ready to cooperate with the Secretariat on this.  
67. For the second part of the proposal, the analysis of the stimulus packages, it would be better 
for it to be pursued in other institutions, as the anal ysis should take also into account issues other than 
trade and should be done from a wider macro-economic perspective. 
68. The monitoring and surveillance exercise with th e issuing of reports should be carried on for 
transparency and for its deterrent effect, and Ja pan will continue to co operate fully with the 
Secretariat on this. As for the frequency of reports , Japan can go along with what has been suggested 
by DG, i.e. twice this year. 
69. Lastly, I would like take this opportunity to make  two points.  First, on RTAs, thinking of its 
increasingly important part in the global trade arch itecture, the survey conducted in this TPRB report 
should be continued in order to ensure their essentia l character to complement the multilateral trading 
system.  Second, on AfT, the addition of the AfT element to the TPRM is to be welcome for the sensitization and mainstreaming of AfT, as well as the steady follow-up of implementation. 
CHINA 
70. China believes this meeting is highly timely. I would like to thank the Director-General for 
his presentation of the excellent background report. Following the example of the former Ambassador 
of Japan, I will focus my statement mainly on thr ee points. We also welcome the Argentine proposal 
on the transparency and further discussions  of bailouts and stimulus packages. WT/TPR/OV/M/7 
Page 10  
 
71. My first point is on the crisis.  As the annual report has stated, there is growing evidence that 
the worst of the deepest economic cr isis since the 1930s is already be hind us. Signs of recovery have 
emerged in almost all major economies. Various agen cies have predicted that the world economy will 
grow by 2-3% this year. So cautiously speaking, re cession has been reversed and trade started to pick 
up. 
72. However, recovery is not stable yet. Some  major economies are growing without bringing 
down the rate of unemployment. Financial risks ar e still high in some parts of the world. Many 
governments are gripping with the chronic pressure of deficits and public debts. At the same time, we 
should also be on guard of the bubbles. Governments got to find ways quickly to reduce unemployment and spur private demand. 
73. In this respect, China has the following to share with Members. In order to stimulate domestic 
consumption, there have been improvements in pension insurance, health insurance and study 
scholarships and grants so that people could spe nd more willingly and more  boldly. Other policies 
have promoted domestic consumption more direc tly, such as reduction of purchase tax for cars with 
small engines. We are glad to see that as a result in the first 11 months of 2009, total retail sales of 
consumer goods in China grew by 15.3%. 
74. My second point is on protectionism.  We share the view expressed in the report that the 
current crisis could have sparked a severe protectioni st response. Fortunately, this did not occur last 
year. Although there have been instances of slippa ge, in general terms the world economy is about as 
open as it was before the crisis. But this has not come easily. International cooperation, including 
strong resolve of G20 Leaders as well as WTO ru les and this monitoring mechanism, played a 
decisive role in deterring protectionism. And the r eason for international cooperation to run its course 
is that history has taught us that protectionism wh ich seemingly serves some domestic interests in the 
short term will be disastrous for all in the long ru n. It is China’s consistent position to oppose all 
forms of protectionism in trade and investment. 
75. However, as the Director-General has warned  recently, protectionist pressures are likely to 
increase in the face of worsening unemployment. We  hope all Members, in particular the major 
developed ones, could abide by the common unde rstanding at G20 Summits, the Seventh WTO 
Ministerial Conference and other multilateral meetings , and resort to trade protection measures such 
us trade remedies with great restraint. 
76. My third point is on globalization.  The annua l report asks a very good and relevant question: 
How different will the world look after the crisis? And more specifically, will the crisis result in a 
retreat from economic integration? The report has done  a very good analysis but gave no definitive 
answer. I think the message that the report tries to convey is that  it depends. It depends on whether 
WE Members of the WTO will look at the globalizati on differently. It depends on whether all of us 
still have the political will to stick to open polici es during such a difficult period. It depends on how 
we will deliver our commitments on development is sues. The experiences of China over the past 30 
years prove that development comes from opening- up. At the same time, domestic regulations are 
necessary to prevent speculation and credit risk, whic h were exactly the main reasons for the current 
crisis. Policy space for developing countries has also an important role to play. 
77. Now a best opportunity to further stimulate the world economy is to finish the Doha Round of 
negotiations sooner rather than later. Our Ministers met last year and reaffirmed their commitments to 
seal the deal in 2010. Let us roll up our sleeves, keep our noses to the grind stone, and get the job 
done. WT/TPR/OV/M/7 
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SWTIZERLAND 
78. We welcome this continued monitoring of tr ade measures – positive and restrictive – which 
was initiated by the Director General at the beginning of 2009. It puts the WTO on the map in an area of its core business. This transpar ency exercise is very important. I strongly hope that this surveillance 
effort of trade policies of WTO Members will be pursu ed in the months and years ahead and that this 
exercise of permanent transparency will not be stopped at some point under the pretext that the 
financial and economic crisis will by  then have been overcome. In this context, Switzerland can go 
along with the proposal of the Director General to conduct the next two such exercises in June and 
November of 2010. I also encourage the WTO to c ontinue conducting joint studi es with other relevant 
international organizations such as, r ecently, with the OECD, UNCTAD or UNEP. 
79. We are also very pleased that the annual report did not limit itself to looking at past trade 
developments but also includes a thorough analysis  of the factors which are susceptible to shape 
future trade developments. Indeed, now that the worst seems to be behind us and that the world 
economy appears to have started a recovery from its deepest economic recession since the 1930s, it is 
time to look at how this process of recovery can be strengthened in order to restore a more sustainable 
growth. 
80. Looking at future developments also implies that governments begin considering exit 
strategies to the measures taken so far. We concur w ith the report that while it may not be possible to 
provide a definitive answer to the question of how di fferent the world will look after the crisis, it is 
both possible and necessary to identify those factor s which are most likely to contribute toward 
answering this question. Like the Director General, we are of the view that exit strategies will need 
notably to take into account the macroeconomic con sequences of the crisis on the pursuit of future 
economic and trade policies, encourage the deleveragi ng in the financial sector and foster regulatory 
reform in this area; the outcome will also depend on  the exchange rates of cu rrencies. Finally issues 
such as the "offshoring" production as well as public attitudes towards trade and globalization will need to be taken into account. 
81. No doubt, this is an ambitious agenda. It is how ever time to start address it. With respect to 
the economic and financial dimension of the me asures taken during the crisis, governments and 
central banks played the role of firefighters during the last fifteen months. They were able to avert a 
full blown financial and economic catastrophy by se tting up huge fiscal stimulus packages, and by 
massively expanding monetary aggregates while lo wering interest rates to near zero. While the 
macroeconomic short-term response to the crisis a ppears to have been quite successful in rapidly 
jumpstarting the economy, very little has yet been done to deal with the real roots of the crisis. As a 
matter of fact, the issue of regulatory changes in the financial sector has still to be addressed despite 
the numerous pledges made by governments to deal with the "too big to fail" problematic in the 
banking and financial industry.  
82. Unfortunately, the G20, which represents about  85% of world GDP and proclaimed itself at 
its Pittsburgh Summit as "the premier forum for international economic cooperation", should 
concentrate its efforts on reforming financial re gulations which have prove n to be inadequate by 
authorizing in the first place, among others, the fi nancial and banking actors to  overleverage and enter 
massive speculation, notably in the housing sector, for wh ich, in the end, the taxpayer was called in to 
foot the bill. 
83. Beyond the setting up of a better financial s upervision and regulatory system to avoid the 
recurrence of a similar crisis in a few years' time if the existing inadequate incentives are not 
corrected, governments will also need to engage soon in fiscal consolida tion and to mop up the 
excessive liquidity which was created to stabilize the world's financial and economic system.  WT/TPR/OV/M/7 
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84. Let me now briefly come back to trade issues.  While I note that so far, no WTO Member has 
retreated into widespread trade restrictions, Switzerland remains seriously concerned about the 
protectionist tendencies governments face in many countries which often end up protecting their domestic industries and services. These measures are dangerous, even if they do not necessarily 
breach WTO obligations. 
85. The record of protectionist measures taken by G2 0-countries, in particular, is a matter of great 
concern to us. Despite the fact that these countri es pledged on several occasions since the first summit 
of the G20 leaders in Washington in November 2008 no t only to a standstill but also to roll back the 
measures having a negative impact on trade flows, one continues to observe slippage from these 
countries toward ever more protectionism. Given th e leadership the G20 wants to assume in the area 
of international economic cooperation, the world co mmunity would expect this important group of 
nations to also assume this responsibility by acting as a positive example for the rest of the world. So 
far, the G20 has unfortunately not lived up to its high  ambitions in trade, since it has done little, if at 
all, to roll back the protectionist measures taken earlier. 
86. Rather, as the WTO notes, G20 members have, in  some cases, raised tariffs and introduced 
new non-tariff measures, and most of them have  continued to use trade defense mechanisms. 
Furthermore, trade-related subsidies - including th e reintroduction of certain export subsidies - were 
increased. These measures, along with reports of add itional administrative obstacles being applied to 
imports, are creating "sand in the gears" of interna tional trade that may retard the global recovery. As 
I already mentioned, while the fiscal and financial packages introduced to tack le the crisis clearly 
favored the restoration of trade growth globally, some of them also contain elements that favor 
domestic goods and services at the expense of imports . Such an unfortunate development can notably 
be observed in the area of public procurement. 
87. We therefore fully share the Director General's assessment that if the WTO provided a strong 
platform on which governments could build their politi cal response to resist domestic pressures, and 
that its rules continued to act as an insurance po licy for all WTO Members against trade restriction 
and discrimination, the events of the past fifteen months have also shown that this insurance policy 
requires a serious overhaul in areas such as governme nt procurement, trade-re lated subsidies and the 
closing-up of the gap between bound and applied ta riffs. Also, the conditions governing the use of 
trade remedies must be seriously tightened. 
88. This, once more, emphasizes the crucial importanc e of concluding the Doha Round with no 
further delay. An early conclusion of the D oha Round would indeed represent a global economic 
stimulus package that would generate good quality jobs without having to be financed out of over-
stretched public treasuries, a blessing for many countr ies in the current circumstances, not least for 
developed economies. 
MEXICO 
89. The Seventh Ministerial Conference clearly re vealed that if the WTO was to continue 
supporting an effective and predicta ble multilateral trading system it would be necessary to overcome 
a series of challenges, several of which were a ddressed by the Director-General in his excellent 
presentation this morning.  We note the following in particular:  (i) protectionism, (ii) regionalism, 
(iii) transparency, (iv) unfair trade, and (v) the system's responsiveness, in particular through the 
dispute settlement system. 
90. Pascal Lamy's opening remarks and the Overview  of Developments in the International 
Trading Environment - for which we thank and congra tulate the Director-General and the Secretariat - 
provides a basis for reviewing three of these challenges. WT/TPR/OV/M/7 
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91. Firstly, protectionism :  as stated in the Report, the protectionist response to the economic 
crisis has not been as drastic as we feared, and we  owe this to the strength of the WTO system, the 
Members' mature political response to the crisis, and also to the monitoring exercise, which we 
welcome.  However, there have indeed been rest rictive measures affecting trade, including Mexican 
exports, and such measures unquesti onably have an adverse impact on the stability of the system.  The 
danger represented by the expansion of trade-restri ctive measures is by no means over, fuelled as it is 
by high unemployment levels, and we need to make a collective effort to fight against it. 
92. Last year's global economic situation notwithsta nding, and with a view to further improving 
the country's international competitiveness and em erging revitalized from the economic crisis, on 
1 January last Mexico began implementing the second stage of its programme to phase out tariffs on 
industrial goods over a period of five years.  This h as led to a reduction of the average industrial tariff 
from 10.6 per cent in December 2008 to 8.3 per cent in 2009 and 5.2 per cent on 1 January 2010 - in other words, to less than half th e average recorded a little over a year ago.  The average rate will 
continue to fall until it reaches 4.3 per cent by the end of President Calderón's term in 2013. 
93. These data are obviously not reflected in the Report under discussion today, since, as I just 
said, the second stage of this tariff reform - the most ambitious reform undertaken by Mexico for 
more than 20 years - has only just begun, but we are sure that they will be reflected in the next issue 
of the Report. 
94. Although these measures aimed at greater ope nness will make our economy more competitive 
and efficient, they have entailed a high political cost for the Mexican Government.  The domestic 
industry has complained that while  new trade restrictions are being imposed by other countries, 
Mexico continues to liberalize trade in goods and services. 
95. Convinced as it is that the course it has set out is the right one and faithful to its commitment 
to maintain and promote an open trading system and strengthen the multilateral system as a crucial 
component of global economic recove ry, Mexico nonetheless stands firm  in its resolve to pursue such 
reforms. 
96. We have also embarked on a trade facilita tion programme, which includes a scheme to 
liberalize logistical services and a liberalization initiative for the telecommunications sector, which is currently before Congress for consideration. 
97. In this context, the least Mexico can expect is  that its trading partners should adopt measures 
of similar magnitude, and what better way of doin g so than to contribute to achieving a successful 
outcome to the Round this year? 
98. We agree with the view expressed in paragraph 14 of the Report that an important step - and I 
would go as far as to say an essential step - that Memb ers can now take is to devise exit strategies to 
remove trade restrictions and production subsidies th at they have introduced temporarily to counteract 
the effects of the crisis, and start implemen ting those strategies as soon as domestic economic 
recovery takes hold. 
99. To our mind, this is indeed a fundamental step, the more so since the dangers outlined in 
paragraphs 12 and 13 of the Report are still present, the first being an incremental build-up of trade 
restrictions - which would undercut the effec tiveness of policies to boost aggregate demand and 
restore sustained growth globally - and the second that the longer trade restricting and distorting measures are left in place, the more deeply entr enched the special economic interests depending on 
them will become and the more difficult it will be to remove the measures. 
100. Despite the encouraging estimate recently provi ded by the United Nations in its publication 
World Economic Situation and Prospects 2010  that world trade volume will grow by 5.4 per cent in WT/TPR/OV/M/7 
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the next 12 months - whereas the UN's June 2009 forecast was 1.8 per cent - we must not forget just how fragile the global economy still is.  Indeed, th e premise to the UN report's estimate of mild 
recovery is that global recovery should remain so lid.  Every effort should therefore be made to 
remedy the restrictive measures already in place, counteract any new protectionist tendency and 
contribute to economic recovery and the strengt hening of the multilateral trading system by 
concluding the Round this year. 
101. As regards transparency
, we fully concur with the Director-General.  As I said earlier, my 
delegation considers that this monitoring exercise ha s contributed to building up the bulwark that the 
WTO has come to represent in order to contain protectionist pressures.  We are in favour of continuing and institutionalizing this exercise.  Wh at better way could there be of celebrating the 
20
th anniversary of the operation of the TPRB than to d ecide to pursue this type of review on a regular 
basis? 
102. As the Director-General emphasized in his ope ning statement, we also believe that it is 
necessary for Members to show greater responsibility in providing timely and accurate notification of 
any change, addition or elimination that may c oncern tariffs, anti-dumping measures, subsidies, 
sanitary and phytosanitary measures, technical re gulations and standards, as well as in notifying 
amendments to service-related regulations affecti ng trade in this sector and, obviously, anything 
pertaining to preferential agreements. 
103. We support the endeavours of the Chairman of the General Council and the work 
programmes initiated by the Chairs of WTO Counc ils and Committees with a view to ensuring the 
timeliness and completeness of notifi cations and other information flows on trade measures, as well as 
the proposal submitted by India to the Genera l Council with a view to establishing a Trade 
Information System based on Member notifications. 
104. We also commend the efforts made by intern ational agencies such as the ITC, UNCTAD and 
the World Bank in conjunction with the WTO, aimed at providing tariff and non-tariff data free of charge to whomever may need it, so that such information genuinely becomes a global public good. 
105. As regards my third point, i.e. regionalism
, as reflected in paragraph 20 of the Report 
regionalism is indeed a rising phenomenon which pr esents a significant challenge for the multilateral 
system.  We agree with the Report's suggestion that more can be made of the Transparency 
Mechanism for RTAs in order to improve the notif ication record and to explore how the multilateral 
trading system can assimilate the gains achieved by RTAs. 
106. I shall conclude with a summary of the point s which we hope will be followed up:  to 
urgently call upon Members that have implemented restrictive measures to notify the latter without 
delay to the Committees concerned and to establish a tim etable for the phasing out of such measures;  
to institutionalize the monitoring exercise through periodic meetings of the TPRB (the 
Director-General's proposal of two more meetings this year appears to us to be adequate);  to further 
strengthen notification and transparency mechan isms in general, including the Transparency 
Mechanism for RTAs;  and to pursue discussions in  the General Council on the basis of the proposal 
submitted by more than a dozen Members to the Se venth Ministerial Conference, suggesting possible 
means of strengthening the way in which the mu ltilateral trading system operates and functions. 
SINGAPORE 
107. First, there can be no doubt now that the A nnual Report which we are discussing today has 
benefited tremendously from the three Reports that were  issued in January, April and July last year.  I 
will hazard to say that the Secretariat would have had some difficulty in drafting such a 
comprehensive, analytical and forward-looking Report without having had the benefit of earlier WT/TPR/OV/M/7 
Page 15 
 
 
Reports, for which Members provided information in  the form of notifications, as well as useful 
comments on structure and analysis.   Singapore looks forward to future Reports this year. 
108. Second, while earlier Reports noted the existence of minor slippage in trade policy, it is with 
great relief that we now note the Annual Report’ s conclusions that there has been no severe 
protectionist response to the economic crisis.  In pa rticular, we are heartened by the observation in the 
Report that very few developing countries have “reacted  to the crisis with trade restrictions”.  Equally 
heartening is the Report’s observation that not only have we worked at resisting protectionism, but 
also, that at the height of the crisis, many Members took measures that facilitated trade.  These may 
be less reported and less known, but just as importa nt. More than 40 Members were listed in this 
Report to have taken such measures, and will no d oubt benefit from increased productivity. All in all, 
we can certainly claim some collective pride in the strength of the multilateral trading system that 
encourages economic activity and has kept wid espread protectionist tendencies at bay.   
109. Going forward, therefore, it is apparent that we must build on these strengths.  This is 
particularly the case given that we are not entirel y out of the woods as yet. The global economy may 
be turning around, but the pace of recovery will be  uneven, and uncertainties still remain.  The need 
for heightened vigilance in guarding against trade rest rictions is thus key.  We must not let our guard 
down – whether it is in rejecting an incremental bu ild-up of measures, or in making sure that trade 
measures undertaken during and for the cris is are removed as soon as possible.   
110. While existing WTO commitments have no doubt  helped in curtailing any slide towards 
widespread protectionism, we must take the opportun ity to provide an even stronger insurance policy 
by concluding our negotiations for the DDA.  We ar e already in 2010, and we can no longer claim any 
solace in repeating the “end-2010” deadline as if it we re some point in the distant horizon.  The time 
is now.   
111. I would also like to draw attention to the excellent second part to the Annual Report, on 
“Shaping Factors for Trade: Looking to the Future”.  In my Minister’s remarks to the plenary at our 
recent Ministerial Conference, he too raised the emer gence of new issues in global trade, and how as 
an organisation, we should look towards the creation of a non-static agenda as part of our 
organisational culture.   The Secretariat has taken a good  first step in allowing us to look forward by 
identifying various key issues that could in the coming years affect the evolution of trade.   
112. As members, we ourselves need to take the next steps by being more pro-active in also 
identifying issues of future concern and using the relevant Committees to the fullest extent to discuss 
these issues.  In this regard, such Reports can never claim to be all-encompassing and complete.  
There will be issues – such as fiscal stimulus packages and financial sector support – where for 
various reasons identified in the Report, analysis w ill not be as complete as some of us would like.  
The fact is, however, that our conversation has star ted.  We look forward to continuing it in the 
relevant committees, and where appropriate, discussing these issues in greater detail. 
113. To conclude, the Director-General and his team have raised the bar for future Annual Reports 
and other preceding and preparatory Reports.  You ca n be assured of Singapore’s continued support in 
the preparation of these Reports.   
ECUADOR 
114. We once again welcome the document introduced by the Director-General, which we believe 
reflects the global trade situation at this time.  We commend his endeavours and the Secretariat's 
efforts to provide more extensive and transparen t information on fiscal stimulus measures and State 
aid for the automotive industry and the financial secto r, chiefly instituted by the developed countries 
as a response to the global economic crisis.  This is  the focus of the comments we now wish to make. WT/TPR/OV/M/7 
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115. In paragraphs 70, 132 and 133 of  his document, the Director-General highlights the paucity of 
data available, which makes it difficult to monitor fiscal stimulus and State aid programmes and limits the capacity to analyse the impact of such pr ogrammes and how they may distort conditions of 
competition in international trade. 
116. We therefore agree with the Director-General 's acknowledgment that the Secretariat needs 
guidance from the Membership on the methodology to  follow.  As a response, Ecuador, Argentina 
and India have provided the General Council with car efully considered and reasonable ideas regarding 
the formal and substantive components that should make up such a methodology.  These ideas are open for discussion among all interested Members and do not seek to single out any Member or convey any negative view of the packages in question. 
117. The proposed methodology introduces a two-leve l parallel, simultaneous and complementary 
approach, under which existing data  would be utilized and expanded , on the one hand, and, on the 
other, the data would be analysed from a qualitative standpoint.  The proposal is designed to facilitate 
proper evaluation of the programmes and the Member ship would act on the Secretariat's information 
in order to strengthen the multilateral trading system. 
118. The same approach could be considered in the Committee on Financial Services, to which 
Ecuador, Argentina, India and South Africa have  submitted a proposal for analysing financial 
stimulus packages.  In view of the disastrous financ ial crisis that broke out and is still plaguing the 
North, and notwithstanding weak signs of recove ry, it is crucial to establish strong measures to 
regulate trade, and financial services in particular .  Deregulation has proved an outright failure, for 
which we have all had to pay the cost.  In the cu rrent negotiating Round, Ecuador will therefore insist 
on maintaining and securing greater, sufficiently ample leeway in the future not only for domestic 
financial regulation policy but  in other spheres as well. 
119. Lastly, it is surprising that these reports still contain no mention of instances of 
non-compliance with the recommendations and rulings of the Dispute Settlement Body which fill the 
latter's agenda and show that long-s tanding protectionist policies remain in effect.  We insist that this 
topic be included in future reports. 
CANADA 
120. Canada continues to be a strong supporter of  the WTO monitoring process and we encourage 
Members to continue showing their support by coop erating with requests to provide information on 
their trade-related measures.   Overall, we found th e content of this latest report to be a fulsome 
compilation of the measures taken over the last year.   
121. In terms of Part A of the Report, we are pleased to see the inclusion of measures taken by 
Members to cut ‘red tape’ as we believe this helps to further demonstrate that there are many tools 
available to improve the flow of goods and services.  Another positive development is the growing list 
of WTO Members and non-Members who have unilatera lly introduced cuts in import duties, fees and 
surcharges. Canada counts itself among these Member s. In January 2009, we eliminated applied 
tariffs on over 200 tariff lines. We estimate that this elimination of duties will result in savings for 
traders of $440 million dollars over five years.  Furthermore, Canada has recently consulted with 
Canadians on an additional list of tariff lines to be el igible for duty elimination.  This list, comprising 
over 1,500 tariff lines with current average Most Fa voured Nation duties of over 7 percent, includes a 
wide variety of products important to the grow th of the Canadian economy. The Government is 
currently reviewing various submissions it received as part of these consultations and is studying what 
future steps to take.   
122. Unfortunately not all news in the WTO Repor t is good. Canada remains disappointed that 
there continue to be non-scientific restrictions imposed on swine, por k and pork products as a result of WT/TPR/OV/M/7 
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the H1N1 crisis. As Canada has previously noted, a ll of the relevant international organizations - the 
World Health Organization, the World Organizati on for Animal Health, the Food and Agriculture 
Organization of the United Nations, and the WTO - have stated clearly that there is no scientific basis 
for any such H1N1 trade restrictions. Canada w ould therefore like to urge all Members and non-
Members that have not done so, to remove these unjustified restrictions without further delay. 
123. Canada welcomes Part B of the report, which looks to the future and to ensuring economic 
recovery. In our view, some parallels can be dr awn between the ideas in this report and the work 
expected to take place this year in the WTO and other international organi zations, as well as in the 
G20 context, where Canada will host the ne xt meeting of this forum in June.  
124. We have collectively experienced the most sev ere global economic and financial crisis since 
the Great Depression. These extraordinary circumstan ces called for an extraordinary response, and the 
G20, in cooperation with other international bodies like the WTO, acted. In less than a year, 
agreement was reached on an Action Plan which set out immediate and medium-term measures to address the crisis including new measures to stabilize the financial markets and stimulate international 
trade. Commitments were made to refrain from pr otectionism and to take steps to promote and 
facilitate trade and investment. The WTO was called on to monitor and report publicly on the 
adherence to these commitments on a quarterly basis. A ll of this laid the gro undwork for a new era of 
sustainable growth. 
125. These commitments have helped ease the impact of  the crisis and have encouraged a quicker 
transition to recovery. The global economic outlook is improving and many macroeconomic 
indicators are stabilizing. However, despite the pos itive signs, the global recovery is not yet assured. 
Significant challenges remain, not the least of wh ich is reviving private demand and maintaining 
momentum on essential financial sector reforms.  There is  much that we can still do to help restore the 
health of our financial systems and to create a worl d economy that is strong, sustainable and balanced 
for all.  
126. So what might a future agenda look like in 2010? First, and most important for this 
organisation, securing recovery requires us to keep our markets open, continue to resist protectionism 
and take concrete measures to actively promote trade liberalization. Concluding the Doha Round 
remains the best way to contribute to economic recove ry, to reinforce the bene fits of the multilateral 
trading system and to provide future insurance agains t the further threat of protectionism.  In addition, 
Canada agrees with the WTO’s assertion that there is a danger in the incremental build-up of trade 
restrictions.  For instance, as the WTO Report points out, there are concerns surrounding the 
emergence of new “Buy National” preferences in some government procurement policies.  
127. Second, to ensure economic recovery we will need the full implementation of our stimulus 
measures and agreement by our Leaders on new polic y actions to reduce global vulnerabilities and 
facilitate a return to strong, sust ainable and balanced growth.  The transition from crisis to recovery 
will be perhaps more challenging than our initial r esponse to the crisis. We will need to carefully 
balance the continued implementation of stimulus m easures with exit strategies. Canada agrees with 
the WTO’s assertion that planning exit strategies will be crucial in the coming months.   
128. Third, we must continue to strengthen domestic  financial regulatory syst ems. We believe that 
good regulation begins at home. As the economic re covery gains a stronger foothold, the window of 
opportunity to enact these reform measures will narrow.  For this reason, we must remain focused on 
fully implementing these reforms if we are to avoid a return to the excessive risk-taking that caused 
the crisis.  However, as Canada has demonstrated, good domestic regulations can  be achieved together 
with a liberalized financial services market.  
129. We recognize that the pace of recovery and growth will vary between countries and regions, 
and we must continue to address the needs of those most vulnerable. While sound national policy WT/TPR/OV/M/7 
Page 18  
 
frameworks are necessary, they are not sufficient.  We also need to have the right international 
institutional underpinnings to support sustainable globalization. This will require reforms to increase 
the legitimacy, credibility and effectiv eness of our international institutions.   
130. This adds up to a full and challenging agenda fo r 2010 and one that will engage us as Canada 
prepares to host the next G20 Leaders’ Summit in June. In our preparations, we will be working 
closely with the Republic of Korea, who will co-chair  the meeting with Canada in June and will host a 
second G20 Leaders’ Summit in November, to ensure that we develop coherent agendas and that we 
continue to make progress in addressing the global economic challenges.  
131. As Canada prepares for the June G20 Summit, we will be reaching out to both our G20 and 
non-G20 partners. All WTO Members, as they work t ogether to integrate and align their economies, 
have an important role to play in the global recovery. 
132. This meeting presents a good opportunity to refl ect on the year that has gone by and to think 
about the way forward for the future.  We continue to  believe that the Director General’s reports – by 
affording greater transparency and understanding of  the trade policies and practices of Members – 
will contribute positively to our efforts to respond to the global economic crisis. We will only see a 
return to strong, sustained global growth if we work together to preserve free flowing trade and 
investment.  We encourage the WTO to continue  this high level of monitoring and information 
sharing and welcome the Director-General’s decision to produce two more reports this year.  
PAKISTAN 
133. The economic crisis hit us severely this time – the increasing fuel and food prices coupled 
with financial squeeze made the things worse. Be ginning from the developed countries, the crisis 
spread its spell to all countries big and small - the debate of freer vs. more regulated trade became 
topic of discussion once again. In these testing ti mes, WTO showed its resilience by taking up the 
initiative of monitoring the trade policy measures take n by different Members. While being aware of 
the domestic sensitivities of different Members, WTO embarked upon collating and presenting an inventory of new measures in the spirit of transparen cy one of the core elements of the WTO. This 
exercise also helped Members to strike a balance between their domestic compulsions and 
international obligations. WTO emerged as winner – that means we all came out as winners – Had 
WTO not acted in such a proactive way – the things might turn out to be dreadful. The role of WTO 
has been acknowledged by all Members, civil soci ety, businesses and academia equally – we all must 
feel proud and owe DG and his team a well deserved appreciation.  
134. The frequency, contents, and presentation of th e report is of high quality – we need to 
continue pursuing this initiative with the same zeal . However, I have a minor suggestion to make – to 
make the report more user-friendly, we could lis t the ‘Rolled back’ measures as a separate annex.  
135. This experience brings home the following two points:  First; the scrutiny of these measures 
reveal that majority of the measures were WTO consis tent, at least in letter if not spirit. In order to 
make trade policies more predictable, we need to  have more clear and tighter rules for antidumping 
and other trade remedy laws, more clarity and di sciplines in services and to reduce gap between the 
bound and applied regimes. This mi ght sound a huge task but thanks to DDA – we have done a lot of 
work – the solution is not in the distant future. Let us engage in negotia tions with devotion and 
commitment. The successful completion of Doha Round is the best insurance to predictable, 
transparent regimes, prerequisite for free and fair trade.  
136. The second important message of this wonderful experience is that it has proved the 
usefulness of WTO as an international organizati on. It has also established that Doha Round and 
WTO are not synonymous. WTO is much beyond Doha – I am not suggesting to  overload Doha – but WT/TPR/OV/M/7 
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what I am suggesting is that we must also work on issues other than Doha e.g. – Rules of Origin, 
RTAs and accessions are amongst the priority areas and deserve our attention. 
137. I would suggest that these issues which are certainly in our mandate can bring more 
credibility to the organization to which we all ow n equally. The positive outcome of these initiatives 
would have positive impact on the Doha Round and by this way we can bring more comfort to less 
privileged amongst us.  
138. Before concluding let me assure you that my delegation would continue to engage 
constructively and ready to give our best to conc lusion of Doha Round and bring more credibility to 
this House.  
KOREA, REPUBLIC OF 
139. In light of the tumultuous chain of events that transpired last year, it is an opportune time for 
us to reflect on the past events, and review what n eeds to be done this year.  In this context, this 
delegation welcomes the findings of the most recent report by the Secretariat. We are encouraged and greatly heartened that despite our initial concerns , widespread resort to  trade restrictive or 
protectionist measure has not taken place. 
140. Without a doubt, the standstill commitment of the G-20 leaders and the APEC leaders, 
followed by subsequent unilateral standstill pledges by individual WTO members have ensured that 
the world economy would not de-generate into tit-for-tat trade wars.  
141. At the same time, the stability and maturity of the WTO multilateral system has played an 
important role as well. In particular, the monitoring exercise by the Secretaria t has been instrumental 
in exerting the right amount of peer pressure so as to suppress any temptation to resort to protectionist 
measures. 
142. However, as the cliché goes, it is too early  to pop our champagne. While the world economy 
has apparently turned a corner and has set course on a path to recovery, it is still too early to predict 
when full recovery will materialize globally. Furthe rmore, with the job market of major economies 
yet to register concrete improvement, there are now warnings about ‘bubbles’ that have been created 
by the fiscal stimulus packages. It is clear we are s till walking on thin ice, and the need for an efficient 
and effective monitoring mechanism to counter pr otectionist measures is now greater than ever 
before.  
143. In this context, my delegation would like to join others in requesting that the monitoring 
exercise of the Secretariat continue. We would al so like to call upon all colleagues to continue to 
work closely with the Secretariat by making availa ble, in a timely manner, the necessary information 
on domestic measures taken - both trade promoting as well as trade restricting - to ensure that each 
report prepared by the Secretariat is as complete and accurate as possible.  
144. I would like to close my intervention today by reminding members that my country is – 
together with Canada - the host of the Globa l G-20 Summit for the year 2010. As such, my 
government looks forward to working closely with Canada and the WTO Secretariat during this year 
to ensure that this important issue remains high up in the agenda of the G-20 leaders.  
145. At the same time, we are committed to re-doubling our efforts to conclude the DDA by the 
end of this year as mandated by the G-20 leaders, for we are one of those who subscribe to the view 
that the DDA is the best global economic stimulus that we can offer to our economies. 
146. Lastly, in regards to the proposal of the EU to start informal discussions on improving the 
TPRM, we would like to state our read iness to engage in those discussions.  WT/TPR/OV/M/7 
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INDIA 
147. Indeed, the TPRM has done valuable work in highlighting the key challenges emerging from 
the ongoing financial and economic cr isis. However, with the increasing complexity of the challenges 
facing the global trading system, it needs to be ev en more pro-active.  The continuing decline in 
global trade flows, with merchandise trade down by 10% as compared to 2005 figures and 
unemployment touching 10% in the Euro zone and the US are matters of concern. While such 
headline numbers are well known, the impact of the slowdown on the economies of developing 
countries, especially the poorest ones, does not seem to  be engaging our equal attention. This meeting 
therefore, provides us with a good opportunity to share our views and concerns.   
148. If one were to look for a silver lining, it is that the doomsday predictions of a large scale 
resort to severe protectionist measures have been proved wrong so far. Moreover, the impact of the 
trade-restricting or distorting measures that have been introduced since October 2008 (listed in Annex 
1 of this Report) has been quite modest. That sai d, it is not time yet to relax our guard. We had 
mentioned in our statement in July 2009 that the overhang of unemployment wi ll continue to depress 
aggregate demand and the situation is not very much better today, notwithstanding the reasonable 
growth levels of some Members in Asia and Latin America.  
149. The financial and fiscal measures taken by developed countries are a double-edged sword. On 
the one hand they ramp up aggregate demand, there by positively impacting trade flows. However, the 
same programmes have led to crowding out privat e investment and adversely impacted credit 
availability, particularly in developing countries. The restraint shown by developing countries in 
respect of resort to protectionist measures needs to be noted and complimented. 
150. While we agree that all Members should avoi d trade restrictive measures in 2010, all 
Members have to contribute equally towards this objective. A situation where subsidies in services 
and goods continue apace in developed countries and developing countries are asked to exercise 
restraint in increasing tariffs to bound levels, is difficu lt to sustain. In this co ntext, the call to narrow 
the gap between applied and bound trade policy re gimes is also difficult to understand. Three 
significant points need to be noted here: 
151. In the area of tariffs, it is only developi ng countries which have the gap between bound and 
applied. The call to narrow the gap would, in pract ice apply only to developing countries and not in 
developed countries. 
152. The same sentiment to narrow such a gap is m eaningless in the case of subsidies because of 
obvious reasons: there are no disciplines on subsidi es in services and there is no bound subsidy level 
in goods. In the case of Agriculture, the issue has become much too complicated to be addressed in 
bound and applied terms.  
153. The gap in applied and boun d tariffs is negotiating capital as well as policy space for 
developing countries. Developing countries cannot be  expected to give it away for free. Any 
narrowing of this gap would be an outcome of the negotiations. 
154. We are surprised to note from the report that th ere is limited reliable information available on 
how the stimulus packages are implemented. In our view, (as articulated in our submission in the GC 
along with Argentina and Ecuador and in the CTFS along with Argentina, Ecuador and South Africa) 
there is enough information available in the public domain to undertake a serious and detailed analysis 
of the impact of the financial and fiscal measures. The WTO delays this analysis at the peril of becoming irrelevant in the current crisis. We reitera te that the sooner this analysis is undertaken, the 
better it is for the WTO and its Members.  WT/TPR/OV/M/7 
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Specific Comments 
155. I would now like to make some specific comments. 
156. Taking up trade defense measures first, I am ha ppy to announce that many of the safeguard 
measures taken by India last year have begun to be reversed.  
157. In Services, we feel that the issue of subsid ies needs more attention and Members need to 
work to formulate disciplines before the end of the Round. Let us not forget that subsidies not only 
have lasting effects, but also tend to be ‘sticky’ . The example of agricultural subsidies around the 
neck of the global trading system is a clear demons tration of this fact. We would also like to caution 
against going back on offers and the signals of last y ear, particularly in areas of interest to developing 
countries. The periodic statements against outsourcing  and efforts to circumscribe current regimes of 
movement of natural persons are continuing causes of concern.  
158. On the issue of climate change, Copenhagen is  now history, but we were witness to some 
serious negotiations. Climate change is a globa l problem and therefore requires a global and 
cooperative response. After Copenhagen, we have a new timetable for concluding the negotiations in 
2010. We have to move ahead with the presumption that the new treaty will provide for an equitable 
sharing of responsibility among countries to address the problem globally and comprehensively. The 
global climate accord will therefore do away with  the need to “offset” competitive disadvantages, 
when countries perceive themselves to be making equitable contributions to achieve the common 
goal. Therefore, there would not be any basis for fu rther unilateral measures.  We feel that unilateral 
trade measures will not succeed in influencing the e nvironmental policies of trading partners. Such 
measures would only invite retaliatory measures and tit-for-tat policies.  India strongly feels that our 
first priority should be to finalize a multilateral agreement on climate change. Only then can the 
relationship between climate change and trade ru les be further clarified under the WTO framework 
through multilateral discuss ions and negotiations.  
159. I would also like to take a moment to talk about  private standards. It is well known that there 
has been a proliferation of private voluntary standards ( "private standards") in recent years and there 
is a general recognition that these standards act as unfair barriers to trade. Our position is that all 
standards must be in accordance w ith those agreed in representativ e multilateral bodies and that these 
standards must have the stamp of  approval of governments. We welc ome the inclusion of private and 
commercial standards as part of the SPS work  programme and have suggested that the SPS 
Committee further discuss the issues surrounding the im pact of private standards on trade and clarify 
the scope and applicability of the SPS Agreement vis-à-vis private standards. 
160. A few words now on the issues of financialization of commodity markets and food security. 
The present global food economy is very different fr om the one in 2001 when the Doha round began. 
The ongoing financial crisis has also highlighted the use of financial instruments which have impacted 
on increasing volatility in commodity markets leading to greater instability in prices of agricultural 
products in the last five years. Trade liberali zation in unregulated financial markets such as 
commodities markets have added to the vulnerability of the poor who are dependent on agriculture for 
their livelihoods. The issue of food and livelihood security is highly sensitive for most developing 
countries. In order to address the infrastructure a nd productivity deficits that characterize their 
agriculture sectors, developing countries need stable  agriculture commodity markets. It is in this 
context that an effective and easy to operate  SSM is crucial for developing countries. 
161. The proliferation of RTAs seems inevitable and they are fast emerging as an integral part of 
the global trade architecture.  However, we need to ensure that such large scale preferential trade does 
not chip away the foundations of the rules based multilateral trading system. India tabled a proposal 
(WT/GC/W/605) which contained, inter alia , a proposition that important aspects of RTAs can be 
fruitfully examined in the WTO so as to redu ce their adverse impact on multilateral trade. WT/TPR/OV/M/7 
Page 22  
 
Simultaneously there could be lessons to learn by  way of non-binding best practices and guidelines 
and this exercise could help in building greater sy nergy between preferential and MFN trade. We once 
again propose that a process be initiated in th e CRTA to examine such issues and trends.  
162. We note that there are about 100 RTAs in force but which have not yet been notified to the 
WTO. This amounts to denial of transparency for th e WTO membership of a substantial part of world 
trade. We are aware that a particular RTA which involves about half of the WTO Membership and 
has been the topic of discussion in the GC in th e past continues to evade both Early Announcement 
and Notification.  We urge Members to expedite the notification process so that we can all benefit 
more fully from the Transparency Mechanism.   
TURKEY 
163. We are pleased to receive this annual report after a lapse of two years since 2006. Frankly, the 
World Trade Reports of 2007 and 2008 mostly comprised of statistical data did not give such a deep 
and detailed picture of international trading en vironment and did not carry the same weight.  
164. This annual report is highly valuab le and responds to a fundamental  need. We hope that in the 
future it continues to be issued without interr uption. The ongoing quarterly monitoring reports on 
trade measures though prepared with a different purpo se yet provide an adequate basis for such an 
exercise.  
165. I would like to say a few words on th e monitoring role of the WTO.  
166. I believe that this monitoring function is an important initiative of the TPRB. It reflects the 
responsibility of the WTO to play an active and cons tructive role in helping to manage the current 
economic situation, thus contributing to th e fulfilment of the WTO coherence mandate as defined in 
Article III of the WTO Agreement.  
167. On the other hand, the quarterly reports on trade measures have become credible sources of 
reference in evaluating individual countries’ respon ses to the crisis. By this way, we have achieved 
considerable transparency and prevented blunt prot ectionist measures. I hope the issuance of trade 
measures reports will continue as we now heard from DG Lamy in 6 months intervals.  
168. This monitoring exercise has given to WTO a new responsibility and visibility other than 
DDA negotiations and rules implementation. In a wa y, it has constituted a new step of engagement 
beyond Doha. So, after finalizing DDA in 2010 hopefully, we will be able to ad dress issues of future 
such as environment and climate in a more detailed manner. 
169. A few words on global economic crisis. 
170. The recent data and analysis including this report indicates a partial recovery in world 
economy and trade. Yet, we should be mindful that  the situation remains fragile and recovery is 
proceeding at different speeds in various regions . Consumption and investment remain weak and 
unemployment continues to rise. In other words,  the strength and sustainability of the present 
recovery still inherit a source of fragility.  
171. We accept that stimulus packages stem fro m a political reality. They have provided 
substantial positive effects as reflected in the annua l report, their implications on global economy and 
trade in the long run need to be examined. As i ndicated in the report, short term growth may be 
dependent on domestic demand increases. It means that stimulus packages will continue to make 
considerable impact on economic and trad e developments for the time to come. WT/TPR/OV/M/7 
Page 23 
 
 
172. It is important that these packages do not cause distortions in trade and unfair competition 
against foreign suppliers. We need to find out how to achieve this. So, it is useful and necessary to 
continue with the analysis of the possible trade effects of them.  
173. Considering the high level unemployment, we mu st continue to watch the “local buy/local 
production requirements” and their impact on competiti on. It shows that sentiment is still there and 
idea is still appealing.  
174. Another venue for distorting trade is export rest rictions. They may directly affect production 
and competition. We need more tran sparency on this topic and more attention should be given to it.  
175. SPS and TBT issues have the potential to be used for protectionist purposes. While 
“international standards” and “scientific basis” provide  two important restraints, still there seems to 
increasing resort to such measures for purposes ot her than their agreed objectives. The case will 
become even more complicated with increasing private standards.  
176. We should start discussing the ways to monitor such private arrangements, and possible ways 
to bring some discipline to them. Furthermore, while  it is always possible to challenge such measures 
through DSB, we must keep in mind that most of the developing countries have difficulty to come up 
with the necessary scientific results to challenge such measures once imposed.  
177. The report also has a part about the role of  Dollar in trading system and possible other 
currencies to be used for transactions. There were  some attempts by some members to use local 
currencies in their bilateral exchanges.  While it re mains to be seen whether this is a secular trend or 
not, the experience in this front may provide us  new ideas to understand the role of Dollar in 
international trade.  
178. With respect to trade remedies, it is clear that  there is a significant increase in anti-dumping, 
countervailing and safeguard investig ations in 2009 in comparison to the previous years. Given the 
continuing impact of the unprecedented economic and financial crisis in the global economy, such a 
rise is understandable.   
179. It should be kept in mind that exporters/producers may access to other markets by dumped 
and subsidized goods and this unfair trade practices  may cause injuries on domestic industry of the 
importing member.  
180. Rules-based multilateral trading system means ope n and fair trade with necessary regulations 
and disciplines. Certainly, we need a system of ch eck and balances. As clearly stated in the World 
Trade Report 2009, there must be a balance between the commitments and flexibility. We should keep 
in mind that contingency measures serve as safety valves and improve the rule of law. 
181. Turkey considers the RTAs as complementary to the multilateral trading system as was 
underlined by DG. Transparency is crucial. Th eir limited scope and membership ease countries to 
make commitments. This paves the way for expandi ng these commitments later to multilateral ones.   
182. Furthermore, as seen in the section of this report on RTAs, they could give us useful clues on 
issues and areas that we need to concentrate in concluding DDA and furthering multilateral trade 
cooperation. In other words, they show that deeper liberalization in industrial goods is more feasible. 
Services trade is expanding. Agriculture is highly sensitive.  
SEPARATE CUSTOMS TERRITORY OF TAIWAN, PENGHU, KINMEN AND MATSU 
183. Sudden earthquakes, like the one in Haiti, or other natural disasters which can have such 
immediate and desperate consequences are so unpredic table they can probably never be avoided – and WT/TPR/OV/M/7 
Page 24  
 
we can never be properly prepared.  An econom ic crisis, on the other hand, is man-made, and 
therefore artificially produced.  If we can learn some lessons from our mistakes in the past, we might possibly avoid having to face the same artificial disaster agai n in the future.    It is in this light that we 
wish to thank the Secretariat for all the relevant analysis and information accumulated in this report, 
which is a crucial part of our learning process.  We also fully concur with the suggestion that an early 
completion of the Doha Round would strengthen the WTO’s role as an insurance policy for all 
Members against trade restriction and discrimination. 
184. Regarding the DG’s suggestion of changi ng the frequency of publishing the monitoring 
reports to once every half-a-year, my delegation woul d support this in principle. Indeed, we would 
hope that such change would allow more time for th e Secretariat to improve the quality of the reports 
even further. 
185. On another note, for the sake of accuracy, we would like to clarify one point in this report - in 
paragraph 105 of page A-34 - in which it is indi cated that we have provided subsidies to the 
electronics industry.  After checking with the Secretariat, we have found that the source of this could have been an inaccurate news report in the press.   
186. We would like to make it absolutely clear th at no subsidies have been provided to our 
electronics industry.  What my government has done has been to respond to the financial and 
economic crisis by undertaking measures aime d at coordinating banks, based on commercial 
considerations, to extend the amount of time a llowed for handling bounced cheques, as well as bank 
bonds and debt.  Companies from all industries may seek  such assistance as the need arises, including 
the electronics industry.  Some DRAM manufacturers ha ve submitted applications  in line with the due 
procedures required under this mechanism.  Howe ver, my government does not provide capital or 
financial assistance to any of these DRAM applicants. 
187. In conclusion, we hope our expl anation avoids any future misunderstanding by the Secretariat 
or the WTO Membership. 
HONG KONG, CHINA 
188. Like others, we welcome and commend the a nnual report issued by the DG last November: 
this again provides a useful reference for us to st ock-take recent developmen ts in the international 
trading environment and to focus on the challenges ahead. We look forward to the two further reports 
planned for 2010. 
189. We were encouraged to note the DG’s assessment in his report that no WTO Member has 
retreated into widespread protectionism or retaliati on, and we have carefully noted his supplementary 
remarks on the subject earlier in this meeting.  We  should, however, not lose sight of the fact that 
several hundred protectionist measures have been  introduced since the beginning of the financial 
crisis, as, for example, identified last month in the th ird Global Trade Alert report.  This is, at least, a 
timely reminder that protectionist pressures have in no way abated during the past twelve months. 
190. Many may of course find it expedient, as a short-term political palliative, to resort to 
protectionist measures.  But once introduced, these measures are rather difficult to unwind.  Alerts 
have also been sounded on potentially-escalating prot ectionist pressures in the face of worsening 
unemployment around the globe.  We should, therefore,  remain vigilant and demonstrate our strong 
commitment to resist any new trade-restrictive or di stortive measures.  That is the only way to ensure 
that international trade, which is a key engine of  global prosperity and economic growth, will not be 
hampered. 
191. Regarding the financial and fiscal stimulus me asures that have already been introduced, a 
deeper and more systematic analysis of these would inform us better of their trade effects.  We are WT/TPR/OV/M/7 
Page 25 
 
 
open to further proposals in this respect and also any workable ideas that may be floated to improve 
transparency and notification of such measures.   
192. Our systems should be able to provide Members with comprehensive, accurate and up-to-date 
information on trade-policy developments. Ensu ring transparency and timely notification under 
various WTO instruments is central to our indivi dual and collective work to improve the WTO’s 
trade-policy information systems.  Much work h as been undertaken by the TPRB and various councils 
and committees in this respect.  These efforts are co mmendable.  But, in addition to seeing through 
their smooth implementation, we must continue to seek further improvements.  
193. The report’s highlighting of the proliferation of RTAs is therefore most relevant and timely.  
The Transparency Mechanism implemented on a provi sional basis has served us well so far.  
However, we believe that Member s could make better use of it to monitor RTAs’ compliance with the 
WTO rules to ensure that they are constructive  building blocks of the multilateral trading system 
rather than impediments.  We look forward to discussions aimed at further improving the 
Transparency Mechanism in 2010,  as well as the initiative from the Chair of the Negotiating Group on 
Rules to consult with the CRTA in order to obtain further insight into RTA systemic issues.     
194. We share the observation in the report that WT O trade disciplines need strengthening.  In 
particular, the Doha Development Agenda has manda ted us to clarify and improve the discipline on 
trade-remedy measures.  Hong Kong, China considers that there is an  immediate need to strengthen 
this discipline in the light of noticeable upsur ge in the number of an ti-dumping and countervailing 
duty investigations. 
195. We also share the view expressed by the DG this morning that the TPRM has played an 
extremely useful role over the past 20 years, and we  look forward to continued participation in this 
important part of the system as it de velops and evolves over the next 20. 
196. In this and other respects, the benefits of th e multilateral trading system and the central role 
played by the WTO need no elaboration here.  But, in order to ensure that the system can keep up 
with rapid changes in the global economic envi ronment, we must seek ways to improve the 
functioning, efficiency, inclusiveness and transparency  of the WTO, to ensure that this organisation 
does remain one with relevance and vitality.  
NEW ZEALAND 
197. We join other members in welcoming the Director  General’s report.  It builds usefully on the 
other three monitoring reports of 2009 in setting out  the trade policy measures taken in response to the 
economic crisis. 
198. As many other delegations have noted, while  there are now welcome signs of economic 
recovery, we are not yet entirely out of a crisis s ituation.   That being the case, we welcome the 
Director General’s intention to continue preparing monitoring reports during the course of this year.   
We need to remain vigilant against any recourse to protectionist measures. 
199. We noted with particular interest the comment s in the report concerning trends in regional 
trade agreements.  We would agree with others th at there would be value in exploring these issues 
further, perhaps through fact-finding work and discussion in the CRTA.  
__________