. /.   WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  WT/MIN(09)/ST/37 
1 December 2009 
 (09-6104) 
MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE 
Seventh Session Geneva, 30 November - 2 December 2009 Original:   English 
 
  
THE SEPARATE CUSTOMS TERRITORY OF TAIWAN, PENGHU, 
KINMEN AND MATSU 
 
Statement by HE Dr Yen-Shiang Shih
 
Minister of Economic Affairs  
   It gives me great pleasure to participate on behalf of the Separate Customs Territory of 
Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu in  this Seventh Ministerial Conference of the WTO.  I would like 
to thank both the Director-General, Mr Pascal Lamy, and the Chairman of the General Council, 
Ambassador Mario Matus, for their efforts in arra nging the Ministerial Conference at this decisive 
moment.  I hope that, collectively, we can seize this opportunity to reach consensus on our path 
forward and demonstrate the real value of the multila teral trading system to our constituents at home. 
 
 It has been more than one year now since the onset of the global financial and economic 
crisis.  We are heartened to see that through effo rts Members have made to tackle the most severe 
financial plight we have confronted since the 1930s, the world economy is beginning to recover and 
trade is returning to normal.  Even though concer ns about protectionism ha ve been re-awakened, 
thankfully, the WTO's monitoring and transparency mechanisms, as well as the Members' hard work 
in other fora such as APEC and the G-20, have he lped to prevent its spr ead to a large degree. 
  As a WTO Member that is heavily reliant on trade, we know from experience that measures 
to liberalize and facilitate trade based on WTO rules and the principles of transparency and 
non-discrimination, are the best tools for building sound, sustainable and balanced economic development.  In further pursuit of this belie f, we became a signatory to the Agreement on 
Government Procurement this past July, demonstr ating once more our support for the goals of free 
and open trade.  We believe that enlargement of the GPA membership and coverage of commitments 
can be effective tools in creating more  trade and restraining protectionism. 
  I think we have all learned yet again, not onl y from the current economic crisis, but also from 
various challenges we face today such as H1N1, c limate change and food security, that we must 
inevitably cooperate in order to coexist and prosper.  Global prob lems require globally-coordinated 
solutions.  Now more than ever before, we need to  work together to address the Members' prevailing 
concerns such as boosting economic recovery, restra ining protectionism, protecting public health and 
mitigating the effects of global warming.  The same goes for finding ways to further strengthen the 
WTO so it may better meet the global challenges that lie ahead. 
  To this end, I firmly believe that a prom pt, substantial and balanced conclusion to the 
Doha Round is the most effective way of re-energ izing global economic growth and strengthening the 
multilateral trading system to meet such challeng es.  Accordingly, I urge Members to exercise 
political will and flexibility to bring the negotiations to a successful conclusion. 
 WT/MIN(09)/ST/37 
Page 2  
 
   While bearing in mind that the ultimate goal of our negotiations is to pursue a sustainable 
growth and benefits for all Member s, we should not forget the importance of the developmental needs 
of the developing countries, particularly the LDCs.  In addition, we urge that the concerns of the 
G-10, a group of net food importe rs, be taken into account in the agriculture modalities and that the 
extensive commitments made by recently acceded Members (RAMs) at their accessions be given 
appropriate consideration in the Round.  The Member s of the RAMs Group have also made clear their 
concerns in this Round, incl uding their case for special treatment in the communication 
WT/MIN(09)/6 dated 27 November 2009.  
 Moreover, given the importance of the dis pute settlement mechanism, I also encourage 
Members to maintain the negotiating momentum, and ensure that a consensus is reached before the 
conclusion of the single undertaking.   Apart from the negotiations, I would also like to  stress the importance of maintaining a sound 
environment for the development of globally emergi ng industries, such as electronic commerce.  In 
this regard, we reiterate our support for maintain ing the Members' current practice of not imposing 
customs duties on electronic transmissions until our next session.  As such, we urge Members to 
support the draft decision on the agenda.  I believe that such an outcome will be the best way to 
balance taxation jurisprudence and trade facilitation.   In addition, I propose that the WTO should 
further enhance its systematic coope ration with relevant internationa l organizations, especially in the 
areas of establishing international standards and bu ilding global financial and economic order.  Doing 
so will help Members mitigate potentially detrim ental trade impact deriving from serious global 
incidents or crises.   Finally, I would like to emphasize that the WTO,  which is member-driven, is now at a crucial 
crossroads.  It is of the utmost importance that Me mbers take action to restore the world's confidence 
in the multilateral trading system.  
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