WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  TN/TF/W/27 
21 March 2005 
 (05-1187) 
Negotiating Group on Trade Facilitation Original:   English 
  
COMMUNICATION FROM AUSTRALIA AND MALAYSIA 
  
 The following communication, dated 18 March 200 5, is being circulated at the request of 
Australia and Malaysia. 
 
_______________ 
   
APEC WORKSHOP ON THE WTO TRADE FACILITATION NEGOTIATIONS 
SUMMARY REPORT 
 
 1. The Governments of Australia and Malaysia  jointly hosted a workshop for APEC economies 
on the WTO trade facilitation negotiations, 1-2 Marc h 2005 in Kuala Lumpur.  Over 70 customs, 
trade and business representatives from 13 Asia-Pacific economies
1 attended the workshop, which 
was facilitated by Mr. Andrew Stoler, Executive Direct or of the Institute of International Business, 
Economics and Law at the University of Adelaide a nd current Director of the private sector Trade 
Facilitation Alliance.  Distinguished guest speak ers included H.E. Ambassador Noor Muhamad 
Yacob, Chairman of the WTO Negotiating Group on Trade Facilitation.   
2. Coinciding with the start of substantiv e negotiations, the workshop aimed to improve 
understanding among APEC trade and customs officials of issues involved in the WTO trade facilitation negotiations;  to draw lessons from the APEC experience of trade facilitation relevant to 
the WTO negotiations;  and to strengthen the capacity  of APEC economies to participate effectively 
in the WTO negotiations.  The workshop consisted of ten separate sessions, including a final panel 
session that discussed lessons for the WTO negotia tions.  Other sessions addressed the outlook for 
trade facilitation negotiations in the Doha Round;  pr eparatory work to date in the WTO;  views of 
leading proponents on issues for inclusion in the ne gotiations;  the treatment of trade facilitation in 
recent free trade agreements;  international cust oms reform efforts, including the APEC Kyoto 
Pathfinder initiative;  the experience of selected APEC economies in implementing trade facilitation 
reforms;  and business perspectives on the negotiations.   
 
3. Overall, there was a sense among workshop par ticipants of the value in building on current 
GATT rules.  The APEC experience demonstrated that rules were necessary to shore up political 
commitment to customs reform and to prevent "back sliding" by administrations, as well as to ensure 
stable and predictable conditions for trade.  Am ong the issues raised in discussions, the following 
emerged as key lessons for the negotiations: 
 
• There was an ongoing need for confidence-building in the Negotiating Group’s work.  
Consequently, it made sense to address the "easier " issues in the initial stages of negotiations, 
in order to build on small blocks of  success as WTO Members worked toward a 
                                                     
 
1 Australia;  People's Republic of China;  Hong Kong, China;  Indonesia;  Japan;  Malaysia;  the 
Republic of the Philippines;  the Russian Federation;  Thailand;  Chinese Taipei;  Viet Nam;  Cambodia;  United 
States. TN/TF/W/27 
Page 2  
 
comprehensive final result.  The "bite-sized " approach was helpful in framing discrete, 
"digestible" proposals. 
 
• There was a need to focus on technical assist ance and to seek input from those developing 
countries in need of assistance to specify where they needed help, not just in implementation 
but also – very importantly – in the course of the negotiations themselves.  There was no 
shortage of resources for technical assistance a nd capacity building, but greater coordination 
and focus was needed in the delivery. 
 
• It would be essential to develop tailored implemen tation plans, as needed, with respect to the 
various commitments based on analyses of indivi dual Members' situations over the course of 
the negotiations.  
 
• Geneva-based negotiators needed real-time access to technical analysis and advice from 
customs experts in order to assess proposals a nd respond effectively to developments in the 
negotiations.  Better internal coordination would be a critical factor for successful 
negotiations:  between trade and customs aut horities, between Geneva-based negotiators and 
capitals, and between government and the private sector. 
 4. A summary report of the workshop proceedings is  attached for the information of Members.  
Workshop presentations can be viewed on the APEC website (www.apec.org)
. 
 
 
_______________  
  TN/TF/W/27 
 Page 3 
 
 
 
APEC Workshop on WTO Trade Facilitation Negotiations  
March 1-2, 2005, Kuala Lumpur,Malaysia  
 
Report on Workshop Proceedings and Outcomes  
 
Summary  
 The APEC Workshop on WTO Trade Facilitation Nego tiations was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 
on 1-2 March 2005, co-hosted by the Malaysian Minist ry of International Trade and Industry and the 
Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Tr ade.  The Workshop was attended by more than 
70 participants from 13 economies.
1  Participants were drawn fr om member economies’ customs 
administrations, agencies responsible for trad e policy and from representatives of the business 
community.  The Chair of the WTO Negotiating Group on Trade Facilitation, H.E. Ambassador 
Muhamad Noor Yacob participated in the Work shop that was facilitated by Mr Andrew Stoler, 
Executive Director of the Institute for International Business, Economics and Law at the University of 
Adelaide.  Mr Stoler is a former Deputy Director-General of the World Trade Organization and current Director of the private sector Trade Facilitation Alliance. 
 
The objectives of the Workshop were: (1) to impr ove understanding among APEC trade and customs 
officials of issues involved in the WTO trade fac ilitation negotiations; (2) to draw lessons from the 
positive APEC experience of trade facilitation rele vant to the WTO negotiations; and, (3) to 
strengthen the capacity of APEC economies to pa rticipate effectively in the WTO negotiations. 
 
The Workshop consisted of ten separate sessions , including a final panel session that discussed 
lessons for the WTO negotiations.  Other sessions were addressed to: (1) prospects for trade facilitation negotiations in the Doha Round; (2) a survey  of preparatory work to date in the WTO; (3) 
views of the EC and the USA on issues for inclusi on in the negotiations; (4) the treatment of trade 
facilitation in recent Free Trade Agreements; (5) APEC’s trade facilitation agenda, including the 
Kyoto Pathfinder initiative; (6) Chinese Taipei’s ex perience with trade facilitation; (7) Malaysia’s 
experience with trade facilitation; (8) a devel oped country (USA) business perspective on trade 
facilitation; and, (9) a developing country (Philip pines) business perspective on trade facilitation.   
 The program for the Workshop and the list of pa rticipants are attached as Annexes I and II. 
 WTO Trade Facilitation Negotiations
 
 
Following introductory comments by representati ves of the sponsoring APEC economies, the 
presentations and discussion on the first day of the Workshop focussed on the background to and 
recent developments in the WTO trade facilitation negotiations.  The Chair of the WTO Negotiating 
Group, Ambassador Muhamad Noor Yacob, reviewed the mandate of the negotiations as set out in 
Annex D to the Framework package agreed by WTO Members in July, 2004.  The Chairman pointed 
out the evolution of the text of the mandate from ear lier versions and the very important fact that in 
addition to clarifying and improving GATT Articles V, VIII and X, WTO Members had agreed that other objectives of the negotiations included effect ive technical assistance and capacity building in 
developing countries and enhanced  cooperation and coor dination among customs and other agencies 
with responsibilities related to the import and export process.  The Chairman described the 
progressive approach being followed in the negotiating group and the need to move at a pace that allowed developing countries to gain confidence in  the negotiations.  Concerns, particularly, those 
raised by least developed countries, needed to be  addressed, he said, and it was his objective to keep 
those concerns in mind as the talks proceed.  Th e Chairman welcomed the fact that the initial 
                                                     
 
1 Australia; People’s Republic of China; Hong Kong, China; Indonesia; Japan; Malaysia; the Republic 
of the Philippines; the Russian Federation; Thailand; Chinese Taipei; Viet Nam; Cambodia; United States. TN/TF/W/27 
Page 4  
 
proposals tabled in advance of the February mee ting of the negotiating group were “bite sized” and 
digestible by participants.  The objective in the ne gotiating group is to make sufficient progress by the 
end-July break in Geneva to ensure that a co mprehensive package of proposed improvements and 
clarifications could be on the table for the upcoming WTO Ministerial Conference in Hong Kong. 
 
In response to participants’ qu estions and comments, the Chairman pointed out that other 
organisations such as the World Bank and the World Customs Organisation were involved in the work 
of the Negotiating Group – in particular with respect to technical assistance.  The WCO, in particular, was an active participant in the work of the Group.  The Chairman observed that to date no delegation 
has made a targeted proposal in respect of tec hnical assistance or in relation to Article V.  
 
The existing legal framework in the GATT, the relationship of Articles V, VIII and X to other 
agreements within the WTO system and preparations to date in the negotiations were reviewed by Mr 
Stoler in the second presentation of the workshop.  The nature of existing legal obligations and the 
shortcomings that many delegati ons had identified with these pr ovisions were explained and the 
presenter detailed how many of the “gaps” and uncl ear obligations would be addressed in proposals 
tabled to date in both the preparatory period and in  newer proposals tabled in advance of the February 
meeting of the Negotiating Group.  Recognizing that the European Communities and the United States are among the most vocal advocates for negotiated clarifications and impr ovements to the “trade facilitation articles”, 
representatives of the EC and the US addressed th e workshop on their delegations’ views on desired 
outcomes to the negotiation.  Speaking for the EC, Mr Joachim Graminsky of the European 
Communities’ Geneva delegation, said that Brussel s endorsed Annex D fully and was convinced that 
there is still too much “red tape” and lack of cl arity in rules and procedures that have not been 
revisited in decades.  He explained that the EC ’s recent proposal with respect to Article X was 
designed to tackle the easier issues first and build confidence in the negotiations.  In his presentation, 
he reviewed and explained proposals tabled in respect of publication and advance binding rulings; 
consultation with the trading community in advanc e of finalising new regulations and procedures; 
and, the desirability of ensuring appropriate administ rative and judicial appeal procedures.  He briefly 
forecast forthcoming proposals from the EC in respect of GATT Articles VIII and V.  
Ms. Rachel Shub of the United States Mission to the WTO said that recently tabled US proposals 
reflected the feeling that traders n eeded more specificity in the rul es to keep pace with developments 
in global logistical practices.  The United States recognized that many delegations felt the need for 
technical assistance in the negotiations and she beli eved that the resources existed to satisfy these 
needs; however, this should not be an overly comp lex negotiation.  She reviewed the four discrete 
proposals tabled by the US on transparency (including internet publication), advance binding rulings, 
information on fees, and the need for particular provi sions dealing with express shipments.  In the US 
view, negotiations based on abstractions were unlik ely to provide real results and risked raising 
concerns in developing countries.  For this reason,  her delegation would focus its efforts on simple, 
practical proposals like those already on the table.  
On the issue of special and differential treatment, Ms Shub said the US did not consider it helpful to 
suggest that developing and least-developed count ries should be exempted from trade facilitation 
commitments particularly since it appeared that  developing countries generally recognized the 
benefits of undertaking reforms if they had the capac ity to do so.   As needed, it would be essential to 
develop tailored implementation plans with respect to the various commitments based on analyses of 
individual Members’ situations ove r the course of the negotiations. 
 In the final session of the Workshop’s first day,  Mr Stoler and Ms Shub reviewed how trade 
facilitation concepts under discussion in Geneva were already finding their way into recently 
negotiated and implemented bilate ral Free Trade Agreements (FTAs), such as the FTAs negotiated 
between Australia and Singapore, Australia and the USA and US FTAs with Chile and Central  TN/TF/W/27 
 Page 5 
 
 
American countries.  Many of these FTAs incorporat ed provisions on enquiry points, advance rulings, 
internet-based publication and administrative and judi cial appeals procedures.  In the course of the 
discussion that followed, the presenters explaine d how these FTAs, many of which included the 
participation of developing countries, served as useful practical “test beds” for concepts under 
discussion at the WTO.  In addition, it was point ed out that technical assistance and special and 
differential transitional features had also been im portant elements in these bilateral and regional 
initiatives.  
APEC Members’ Trade Facilitation Experiences
 
 Dr David Widdowson, Chief Executive Officer of the Centre for Customs and Excise Studies at the 
University of Canberra focussed his remarks on the ke y role played in trade facilitation of effective 
risk management techniques and procedures.  He explained Revised Kyoto Convention provisions on 
risk management and how economies taking the right a pproach in this area are able to both increase 
regulatory control and enhance trade facilitation.  Key elements of an approach advocated by the 
Kyoto Convention contributing to effective trad e facilitation include: clear legal requirements, 
appropriate application of laws, minimal red ta pe, coordination among agencies involved with border 
clearance activities, effective compliance manageme nt that provided for post-transaction audit and 
broke the nexus between physical control and reve nue collection, and, effective use of automated 
systems.  Dr. Widdowson reviewed the APEC Kyot o Pathfinder Initiative that laid out the steps 
economies should follow in order to come into compliance with the revised Kyoto Convention and 
explained how the World Bank was undertak ing a trade facilitation support project. 
 The experience of Chinese Taipei with trade fac ilitation initiatives was detailed by Dr. William Wang 
of the Customs Service of Chinese Taipei.  He expl ained that key players in the success or failure of 
trade facilitation initiatives included not just custom s administration personnel but also those in 
licensing agencies and private sector players like carriers, warehouse operators and banks.  
Automation was a necessary foundation for implemen tation of many trade facilitation techniques and 
contributed to effective risk management and th e introduction of post-transaction audit procedures.  
He emphasized the importance of narrowing the focus by creating more inquiring and analytical tools in order to sort out high-risk group and let th e legitimate commerce pass th e customs unimpeded. Dr. 
Wang also detailed Chinese Taipei custom’s tr ade facilitation measures including single window 
operations, cargo clearance transparency, immediate Q&A problem-solving mechanism, container 
movement transparency, etc.  As a way of measur ing its progress in trade facilitation, Chinese Taipei 
has developed and put into use trade facilitation indicators, such as release time measurement, the 
percentage of by-passed entries, and cargo examination rates.  
Royal Malaysian Customs’ experiences with trade facilitation were detailed by Mr Dhajudeen Sahol 
Hameed, Deputy Director of Customs.  Internationa l trade was accepted as critically important to the 
long term prosperity of Malaysia and for th is reason, Malaysian Customs was committed to 
undertaking trade facilitation measures itself and se eking their introduction by Malaysia’s trading 
partners.  Of particular significance was Malaysia’s shift from transaction-based controls to post transaction audit controls.  He described how Ma laysia saw the interaction of GATT Articles like 
Article VIII with the revised Kyoto Convention’s st andards and suggested that it would be important 
to use the WTO negotiations to build these standard s into the WTO rules.  In a very significant 
development, Malaysia and Thaila nd were working jointly to develop shared customs control on their 
borders, including the use of joint documentation.  Malaysia’s risk management techniques involved 
authorised trader arrangements recognised as “Cus toms Golden Clients”.  Malaysia was actively 
working to coordinate the activities of the various  agencies involved in border control and planned 
introduction of a “single window” import and export operation.  Mr Jim Clawson, the Chairperson of the United St ates International Trade Advisory Committee for 
Customs and Trade Facilitation, provided the Work shop with the developed country business view of 
trade facilitation negotiations at the WTO.  He emph asized the key role to be played by the private TN/TF/W/27 
Page 6  
 
sector both in advising government on trade facilitati on initiatives and also in mobilizing support for 
implementation of trade facilitation techniques.  As an approach to progressing this area, he suggested 
focus on: (a) improving the efficiency of capacity bui lding efforts and avoiding waste and duplication 
by implementing better co-ordination between govern ments, donor agencies, and recipient countries; 
(b). eliminating the piecemeal approach to capacity  building that has prevailed in the past; and (c) 
adopting a coherent approach to capacity build ing through governmental negotiations and an 
elaboration of the GATT Articles which ensured th at modernization programs are based on agreed 
best practices, designed to suit the specific needs of individual recipient countries and are not  short term stopgap measures.  Mr Clawson noted that abundant resources were available for technical 
assistance and capacity building, including from donors,  international organizations and the private 
sector.   He drew attention to the important work being undertaken by the Global Facilitation 
Partnership managed by the World Bank in coordination with the WCO as a way of bringing together 
business, government and internationa l organizations in a way that could contribute to meaningful 
technical assistance to developing countries.  
The final presentation prior to the Panel Discuss ion was made by Ambassador  Donald Dee, Trustee 
for the Textiles Sector in PhilExport and President of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry who spoke on the devel oping country business perspective on trade facilitation.  He 
explained that for Philippine traders, problems w ith trade and customs regulations ranked second after 
corruption as problems for business.  PhilExport a nd others working through the Export Development 
Council of the Philippines were working to revi ew systems and procedures to simplify customs 
clearance and operated an automated export data system and common bonded warehouse. The 
Chamber of Commerce and Industry contributed to trade facilitation initiatives through the operation 
of an electronic data interchange (EDI) gateway that related to the Philippines “super green lane” 
initiative.  Outstanding issues highlighted by Ambas sador Dee included: (1) funding trade facilitation 
(he pointed out that the government had recently em barked on a program of modernising Customs’ IT 
system), (2) backsliding on policy – where efforts to  roll back to the number of signatures required to 
approve transactions had been reversed due to a lack of binding rules and the temptation to provide 
avenues for corruption; and (3) inadequate government  interagency coordination.   He cited this last 
point as a particularly serious issue in the Philippines.   In terms of lessons to be learned, Ambassador 
Dee said business interested in trade facilitation need ed to: (1) persevere and stay focussed; (2) share 
resources in pursuit of common goals ; (3) benchmark best practices such as the exciting Malaysia-
Thailand initiative described by the Deputy Director of Royal Malaysian Customs; and (4) 
communicate, network and lobby for change.  
Panel Discussion and Conclusions on Lessons for the Negotiations
 
 The Workshop was wrapped up with a panel discussion moderated by Mr Stoler with the participation 
of Ambassador Muhamad Noor Yacob, Mr Gr aminsky, Mr Clawson and Ambassador Dee. 
 Mr Graminsky opined that the Workshop had demons trated to him that there was a strong case for a 
rules-based approach to trade facilitation in th e WTO, not least because of the point made by 
Ambassador Dee regarding the potential for backs liding where rules were not the basis for trade 
facilitation initiatives.  He said he felt lessons le arned included: (a) the need to involve Customs 
authorities in the negotiations, (b) the fact that tr ansparency was an indisp ensable tool in fighting 
corruption, (c) there was an obvious need for improved internal coordination and coordination 
between capitals and their Geneva representatives,  and (d) a strong argument in favour of closer 
coordination of donor activities in the fi eld of trade-related capacity building. 
 
Ambassador Dee said that in his view the main  lesson from the two-day workshop was that trade 
facilitation to be effective had to be rules-based.  It was obvious to him that existing rules were too 
broad and not specific enough to be useful.  Finally the kind of interagency and private/public sector coordination problems that were so serious in the Ph ilippines are obviously an issue internationally as 
well and could best be tackled by the right outcome to the WTO negotiation.  TN/TF/W/27 
 Page 7 
 
 
 Mr Clawson said the Workshop had validated his view that many economies, including developing 
countries, were already implementing many of the techniques and procedures under discussion in 
Geneva, including key risk management principles.  It was also clear that only an effective public-
private partnership where all stakeholders were i nvolved in the negotiations and their implementation 
would likely produce results that would be effective in  facilitating trade.  He noted that the launch of 
WTO negotiations had raised the profile of customs issues beyond the narrow customs sphere.  In this 
context, he hoped the workshop would encourage dial ogue between customs experts, trade negotiators 
and business.  
The Chairman of the Trade Facilitation Negotiati ng Group, Ambassador Noor Yacob, said he agreed 
with most of the observations made by other panel members.  On the basis of the discussion in the 
workshop it seemed that in some cases there could be important communication gaps between capitals 
and their Geneva representatives and that this prob lem deserved attention.  He cautioned that APEC 
was involved in far more in terms of trade facilitati on than was on the table in Geneva where the focus 
was strictly on Articles V, VIII and X.  Finally, he  said it was his very strongly held view that we 
needed to avoid alienating developing countries in  the Negotiating Group.  This meant that work 
needed to proceed at a pace that was digestible by all participants and that technical assistance and 
capacity building mandated in Annex D must be fort hcoming, both during the negotiations and in the 
implementation phase.  Panellists acknowledged that resources were available for technical assistance 
and capacity building, but that more effective coor dination was required in the delivery.  Assistance 
would need to be demand-driven and focused on the needs of individual Members. 
 The facilitator for the Workshop, Mr Stoler, summed up the lessons learned by suggesting that there 
was general agreement among participants on several points:  (a)  that there was an ongoing need for 
confidence-building in the Negotiating Group’s work and that it would be important to build on small 
blocks of success as WTO Members worked toward a fi nal result; (b) that ther e was a need to focus 
on technical assistance and to seek input from those developing countries in need of assistance to 
specify where they needed help, not just in implementation but also – very importantly – in the course 
of the negotiations themselves; (c) that internal coordination would be a critical factor for successful 
negotiations, both between domestic agencies and between Geneva-based delegations and capitals 
and, (d) that overall, there was a sense among work shop participants of the value in building on 
current GATT rules with a rules-based Doha Round ag reement.  In respect of this last – and key – 
point, there are a number of reasons that had been  cited in support of a rules-based outcome including 
the value of rules in avoiding backsliding, the fact  that the existing GATT provisions in Articles V, 
VIII and X were already legally-bi nding (if insufficient) rules, and the fact that the entire WTO and 
GATT trading regime had been built on the need for traders to operate in a stable and predictable 
environment and this would only be possible wher e the rules were legally binding on Members. 
 Annexes  Annex 1: Program Annex 2: Participant list 
 
 TN/TF/W/27 
Page 8  
 
ANNEX 1 
 
APEC Workshop on the WTO Tr ade Facilitation Negotiations 
1-2 March 2005 
Renaissance Hotel, Kuala Lumpur 
 
PROGRAM 
 
TUESDAY, 1 MARCH 
 
08:30 Registration  Ballroom B, Ground floor, Renaissance Convention Centre 
 
09:00 Introduction to the Workshop  
 Mr Ooi Say Chuan   Deputy Secretary General, 
     Ministry of International Trade and Industry, Malaysia 
 
 Mr. Simon Merrifield  Acting High Commissioner      A u s t r a l i a n  H i g h  C o m m i s s i o n  
     Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 
  Mr. Andrew Stoler  Executive Director 
     Institute for International Business, Economics & Law 
     The University of Adelaide  
09:30 Session One:  Trade Facilitati on in the Doha Round – State of Play 
 Why is Trade Facilitation on the agenda?  What are the terms of the General Council 
 Decision on the Doha Work Program (Annex D)?  What is the likely future work 
program? 
 
 H.E. Mr. Muhamad Noor Yacob  Ambassador of Malaysia to the WTO 
      Chairman, Negotiating Group on Trade       F a c i l i t a t i o n  
 
10:30 Morning Tea 
 
11:00 Session Two:  Survey of Preparatory Work to Date Within the WTO  Explanation of GATT Articles V, VIII and X and what they currently cover & how 
 GATT Articles V, VIII and X interact wi th other WTO Agreements (cross-cutting  
 obligations).  
 Mr. Andrew Stoler Executive Director 
    Institute for International Business, Economics & Law     The University of Adelaide 
 
12:30 Lunch hosted by Dato Mohd Sidek Hassan  
 Secretary-General, Ministry of International Trade and Industry 
 Arcade 5, Lower Ground Floor 
  TN/TF/W/27 
 Page 9 
 
 
14:00 Session Three:  Issues for Inclusion in WTO Negotiations on Trade Facilitation 
 
Part A:  European Communities vi ew on possible elements of a WTO 
  Agreement on Trade Facilitation  
 
Mr. Joachim Graminsky   EC Permanent Mission to the WTO 
  Geneva, Switzerland 
 
 
Part B:  United States views on th e possible content of an Agreement on 
  Trade Facilitation  
Ms. Rachel Shub United St ates Mission to the WTO 
   Geneva, Switzerland 
 
15:30 Afternoon Tea 
 
16:00 Session Four:  How Trade Facilitat ion Issues Have Been Addressed in FTAs 
  Ms. Rachel Shub United States Mission to the WTO 
    G e n e v a ,  S w i t z e r l a n d  
  Mr. Andrew Stoler Executive Director 
    Institute for International Business, Economics & Law 
    The University of Adelaide  
 
WEDNESDAY, 2 MARCH 
 
09:00 Session Five:  International Trade Facilitation:  the Customs imperative 
 Implementation initiatives including the revised Kyoto Convention and the APEC Kyoto Pathfinder 
Initiative 
 
 Dr. David Widdowson Chief Executive Officer 
    Centre for Customs and Excise Studies     The University of Canberra 
 
10:00 Session Six:  Case Study – APEC O fficials’ Experience in Trade Facilitation 
 
 Mr. William Wang Deputy Direct or of Clearance Operations 
    Chinese Taipei Customs 
    T a i p e i  
 10:45 Morning Tea 
 
11:15 Session Seven:  Case Study – APEC Officials’ Experience in Trade Facilitation 
 Malaysia’s Experiences with Trade Facilitation 
 
 Mr. Dhajudeen Sahol Hameed Deputy Director, Customs Division 
     R o y a l  C u s t o m s  o f  M a l a y s i a  
  12:00 Lunch Break 
 Buffet lunch served in Vogue Café, Ground Floor, Renaissance Wing 
 TN/TF/W/27 
Page 10  
 
13:30 Session Eight: Trade Facilitation  - A Developed Country Business Perspective 
 “Mobilizing Support for Building the Foundation of International Trade” 
  Mr. Jim Clawson Chairman 
    U.S. Customs Industry Trade Advisory Council 
    W a s h i n g t o n ,  D . C .   
14:30 Session Nine: Trade Facilitation – A Developing Country Business Perspective 
 
 Mr. Donald Dee  Trustee for the Garments Sector 
    PHILEXPORT     M a n i l a  
 
15:30 Afternoon Tea  
16:00 Concluding Session:  Lessons for the WTO Negotiations from Trade Facilitation  
 within APEC  
 Benefits of Trade Facilitation; Challenges  for effective involv ement of developing 
countries, including possible technical assistance requirements  
Mr. Andrew Stoler Moderator 
 Panel:   H.E. Mr. Muhamad Noor Yacob 
   Mr. Joachim Graminsky 
   Mr. Donald Dee    Mr. Jim Clawson 
 
 
17:30 End of Workshop 
  
  TN/TF/W/27
 Page 11APEC Workshop on the WTO Trade Facilitation Negotiations 
1-2 March 2005 
Renaissance Hotel, Kuala Lumpur 
 
PARTICPANT LIST 
 
List of Speakers 
 
  Telephone Facsimile Email 
Mr Andrew STOLER 
(Facilitator)  Director 
Trade Facilitation Alliance and  
Executive Director
Institute for International Business, Economics 
and Law 
University of Adelaide 
ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA 
 +61 8 8303 6944 +61 8 8303 6948 andrew.stoler@adelaide.edu.au  
astoler@tfalliance.org  
 
Dato Mohd SIDEK Hassan Secretary General  
Ministry of International Trade and Industry 
KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA    
Mr Simon MERRIFIELD  Acting High Commissioner of Australia 
Australian High Commission 
KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA +60 3 2146 5555 +60 3 2141 5773 simon.merrifield@dfat.gov.au  
H E Ambassador Muhamad 
NOOR Yacob 
  Chairman 
WTO Negotiating Group on Trade Facilitation 
Permanent Representative of Malaysia to the 
World Trade Organisation 
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND 
 +41 22 799 4043 
 +41 22 799 4041 muhd.noor@ties.itu.int  
 
Mr Joachim GRAMINSKY  Senior Counsellor 
Delegation of the European Communities to the 
World Trade Organisation 
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND 
   Joachim.Graminsky@cec.eu.int  
  
 TN/TF/W/27 
Page 12   Telephone Facsimile Email 
Ms Rachel SHUB  Attache (Trade Facilitation) 
Delegation of the United States to the 
World Trade Organisation 
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND 
 +41 22 749 5245 +41 22 749 5308 rachel_shub@ustr.eop.gov 
Dr David WIDDOWSON  Chief Executive Officer 
Centre for Customs and Excise Studies 
University of Canberra 
CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA 
 +61 2 6201 5959 
 +61 2 6201 5746 
 david.widdowson@canberra.edu.au  
Dr William Liang WANG  Deputy Director 
Directorate General of Customs
Ministry of Finance 
CHINESE TAIPEI 
 +886 2 25508078. +886 2 25597322 w657@webmail.dgoc.gov.tw  
 
Mr Mat Yusof ABDULLAH Director Customs Department  
Royal Customs of Malaysia 
KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA 
    
Mr James CLAWSON  Director, Global Alliance for Trade Efficiency 
Chairperson, United St ates International Trade 
Advisory Committee for Customs and Trade Facilitation WASHINGTON, USA 
 +1 202 463 8493 +1 202 463 8497 jclawson@moinc.com
 
Mr Donald DEE  Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry 
THE PHILIPPINES +63 2 631 5213 or 
+63 2 632 9480 
 +63 2 631 4035 dgdee@pacific.net.ph  
 
    
 
   
  TN/TF/W/27
 Page 13List of Participants 
 
 
  Telephone Facsimile Email 
AUSTRALIA     
Mr Simon TWISK Director, Industrials and Market Access Section 
Office of Trade Negotiations 
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade +61 2 6261 2488 
  +61 2 6261 2927 simon.twisk@dfat.gov.au  
Ms Tara LEANEY Industrials and Market Access Section 
Office of Trade Negotiations 
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade +61 2 6261 2802 +61 2 6261 2927 tara.leaney@dfat.gov.au  
 
PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF 
CHINA     
Mr XIE Sheng Trade Official
Department of International Trade and Economic 
Affairs 
Ministry of Commerce +86 10 6519 7203 
 +86 10 6519 7213 xiesheng@mofcom.gov.cn  
 
Ms DANG Yingjie Deputy Director 
General Administration of Customs 
 +86 10 6519 5328 + 86 10 6519 4901 dangyj@mail.customs.gov.cn  
 
Mr CAO Yejun Secretary 
China APEC Development Council  +86 10 8225 3177--8166 
 +86 10 8225 3951 
 apec@21w.com  caoyejun@21w.com  
HONG KONG, CHINA      
 TN/TF/W/27 
Page 14   Telephone Facsimile Email 
Mr CHAR Chi Man Principal Trade Officer  
Trade and Industry Department +852 2398 5402 
 + 852 2789 9761 
 arthurchar@tid.gov.hk  
 
INDONESIA     
Dr Heri KRISTIONO Assistant Deputy
Directorate-General of Customs and Excise 
Ministry of Customs 
 +62 21 489 0308 ext 720 
 +62 21 489 1335 
 herikristiono@hotmail.com  
 
Mr Rizal EFRIANDY Assistant Director for Economic and Technical 
Cooperation 
Directorate for Regional Cooperation 
Ministry of Trade 
 +62 21 385 8203 +62 21 385 8203 apec_ind@dprin.go.id  
 
Mr Tazwin HANIF Assistant Deputy Director for WTO Negotiations 
on Trade in Goods and Services 
Ministry of Foreign Affairs 
 +62 21 381 2133 +62 21 351 9593 tazwin_hanif@yahoo.com  
JAPAN     
Mr KONDO Yoshitomo Deputy Director 
Office of International Trade Organizations 
Customs and Tariff Bureau, Ministry of Finance +81 3 3581 3825 
 +81 3 5251 2123 
 yoshitomo.kondo@mof.go.jp 
MALAYSIA     
Mr. Abdul Aziz Mohammed Prin cipal Assistant Secretary 
Ministry of Plantation and Commodities +60 3 88803406 
 +60 3 88803415 abdaziz@kpu.gov.my   
  TN/TF/W/27
 Page 15  Telephone Facsimile Email 
Mr. Wan Mazlan Wan Mahmood Principal Assistant Secretary 
Ministry of Plantation and Commodities +60 3 88803408 
 +60 3 88803415 wmazlan@kpu.gov.my  
Miss Low Yoke Kew Principal Assistant Secretary 
Ministry of Plantation and Commodities   lykiew@kpu.gov.my  
Mr. Hebat Hisham Mohd Yusoff Assistant Secretary 
Ministry of Plantation and Commodities +60 3 88803411 
 +60 3 88803345 hisham@kpu.gov.my  
Miss Shamini Sakthinathan Executive Manager 
Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers +60 3 62761211 
 +60 3 62741266 
+60 3 62747288 shamini@fmm.org.my  
Miss Ng Lee Lee Executive Manager 
Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers +60 3 62761211 
 +603 62741266 
+60 3 62747288 leelee@fmm.org.my  
Mr. Wong Hin Wei General Manager 
Malaysian International Chambers of Commerce 
and Industry +60 3 62017708 
 +60 3 62017705 wong@micci.com  
MALAYSIA cont’d     
Raja Nurshirwan Zainal Abidin Principal Assistant Secretary  
Ministry of Foreign Affairs +60 3 88874558 
 +60 3 88892843 nurshirwan@kln.gov.my  
Mr. N. Jeyasigan Senior Assistant Manager 
Malaysian Industrial Development Authority +60 3 22673693 
 +60 3 22738468 jeyasigan@mida.gov.my   
 TN/TF/W/27 
Page 16   Telephone Facsimile Email 
Mr. S. Raja Kumaran Chairman 
Trade Facilitation Sub-Committee,  
Malaysian International Chambers of Commerce 
and Industry 
 +60 3 62017708 
 +60 3 62017705 micci@micci.com  
Mr. Mohd Fariszan Ahmad Assistant Director 
Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs  +60 3 88825844 
 +60 3 88825981 fariszan@kpdnhep.gov.my  
Mr. K. Patmanathan Principa l Assistant Secretary  
Ministry of Transport +60 3 88866027 
 +60 3 88891568 patma@mot.gov.my  
Miss Yuslinawati Mohd Yusof Senior Manager 
Malaysian External Trade Development 
Corporation +60 3 26163333 
 +60 3 26947262  
Mr. Wan Latiff Wan Musa Senior Manager 
Malaysian External Trade Development 
Corporation +60 3 26163382 
 +60 3 26915159 wanlatiff@matrade.gov.my 
MALAYSIA cont’d     
Mr. Md. Zainuddin A. Jalil Senior Manager 
Malaysian External Trade Development 
Corporation +60 3 26163333 
 +60 3 26947262  
Miss Nur Hanisah Dukes 
Abdullah Royal Malaysian Customs +60 3 88822415 +60 3 88895861 hanisah@customs.gov.my 
Miss Rosinah Ali Royal Malaysian Customs +60 3 88822646 +60 3 88895881 rosinali@customs.gov.my   
  TN/TF/W/27
 Page 17  Telephone Facsimile Email 
Mr. Mohd Pudzi Man Royal Malaysian Customs +60 3 88822717 +60 3 88895872 pudzi@customs.gov.my  
Mr. Khariul Anwar Mohd Yusof Royal Malaysian Customs +60 3 888222463 
  
 kay@customs.gov.my  
Mr. Yahya Sulaiman Royal Malaysian Customs +60 3 88822415 
  +60 3 88895861 yahya@customs.gov.my  
Mr. Ali Termizi Husin Port Klang Authority +60 3 31689287 
  +603-31689117 alitermizi@pka.gov.my  
MALAYSIA cont’d     
 
Miss Hartini Rabu  
Ministry of Agriculture and Agro Base Industries  
+60 3 26175059 
   
+60 3 26946500  
hartinirf@agri.moa.my  
(i)  
Miss Ee Chang Kiau  
Ministry of Finance 2.  
+60 3 88823339 
  3.  
+60 3 88823884  
eeck@treasury.gov.my  
 Mr. Mohd Zain Mohd Dom  
Ministry of International Trade and Industry  
+60 3 62034701  
+60 3 62031745  
zaindom@miti.gov.my
 
 
Miss Hiswani Harun  
Ministry of International Trade and Industry  
+60 3 62034571  
+60 3 62031745  
hiswani@miti.gov.my   
 TN/TF/W/27 
Page 18   Telephone Facsimile Email 
 
Miss Mahani Tan Abdullah  
Ministry of International Trade and Industry  
+60 3 62034704  
+60 3 62031745  
mahani@miti.gov.my  
 
Miss Zalita Zaidan  
Ministry of International Trade and Industry  
+60 3 62034708  
+60 3 62031745  
zalita@miti.gov.my  
 
 Miss Wan Wadrina Wan Abdul 
Wahab  
Ministry of International Trade and Industry  
+60 3 62034642  
+60 3 62031745  
wadrina@miti.gov.my
 
MALAYSIA cont’d     
Mr. Rashidi Said Ministry of International Trade and Industry +60 3 62034761 +60 3 62031745 rashidi@miti.gov.my  
Dr. Sarinder Kumari Ministry of International  Trade and Industry +60 3 62034639 +60 3 62031745 sarinder@miti.gov.my  
Mr. Akmal Ariff Zainul Ariff Ministry of Internat ional Trade and Industry +60 3 62034709 +60 3 62031745 akmalariff@miti.gov.my  
REPUBLIC OF THE 
PHILIPPINES     
Mr Gunther E M SALES Special Assistant 
APEC National Secretariat 
Department of Foreign Affairs 
 +63 2 834 3046 +63 2 834 1451 gmsales@dfa.gov.ph  
  
  TN/TF/W/27
 Page 19  Telephone Facsimile Email 
Ms Lourdes Villamar 
MANGAOANG District Collector 
Bureau of Customs 
 +63 88 856 8782 
 +63 88 856 8782 
  
Mr Claro C ARRIOLA President 
Textile Mills Association 
 +63 2 8186601  
 +63 2 8183107 
 tmap@pacific.net.ph  
 
REPUBLIC OF THE 
PHILIPPINES cont’d      
Mr Gerardo R ANIGAN PhilExport +63 2 831 2033 or 
+63 2 831 2128 
 +63 2 831 2033 granigan@i-next.net  
 
RUSSIA     
Ms Olga DEMIDKINA 
 Expert 
Ministry of Economic Development and Trade 
 +7 095 950 11 84 +7 095 950 91 27 demidkina@economy.gov.ru  
 
CHINESE TAIPEI     
Mr Ming-hsien LAI Head, Negotiation Unit on Singapore Issues 
Bureau of Foreign Trade 
Ministry of Economic Affairs 
 +886 2 2397 7222 
 +886 2 2321 6445 
 joelai@trade.gov.tw  
 
Mrs Fang-Chu LIU Auditor 
Ministry of Finance +886 2 2322 8229 
  fcliu@mail.mof.gov.tw   
 TN/TF/W/27 
Page 20   Telephone Facsimile Email 
     
THAILAND     
Ms Sunita KULTANAN Trade Officer 
Department of Trade Negotiations 
Ministry of Commerce 
 +66 2 507 7488 
 +66 2 547 5625 
 
 sunitak@moc.go.th  
Dr Penvipa LIMSUWARNAOJ Legal Officer 
Customs Department 
Ministry of Finance 
 +66 2 671 7111 
 +66 2 249 1279 
 penvipa@mof.go.th  
 
Mr Nilsuwan LEELARASAMEE Deputy Secretary-General 
Federation of Thai Industries 
 +66 2 345 1143 
 +66 2 345 1294 
 nilsuwan@fti.or.th  
 
Mr Sayan 
CHANVIPASWONGSE Deputy Secretary – General 
Federation of Thai Industries 
 +66 2 345 1143 
 +66 2 345 1294 
 sayan@ebcitrade.com  
 
Dr Piyanuch MALAKUL NA 
AYUTHYA Committee Member 
Board of Trade of Thailand 
 +66 2 631 0637 or 
+66 2 625 8206 
 +66 2 631 0943  
 piyanuch@cpf.co.th  
 
Ms Nopawon 
CHARLONGPUNTARAT C P Merchandising Co Ltd 
 +662 631 0637 or 
+662 625 8206 
 +662 631 0943 
 nopawon_c@cpf.co.th  
 
      
  TN/TF/W/27
 Page 21  Telephone Facsimile Email 
VIET NAM     
Mr Pham Dinh HOA Officer 
International Cooperation Department 
General Department of Customs 
 +84 4 8725953 
 +84 4 8731503 hoatchq@yahoo.com  
Ms Hoang Hai YEN Multilateral Trade Policy Department 
Ministry of Trade of Viet Nam 
 +84 4 8262538/ ext. 1131 
 +84 4 8264696 hoanghaiyen@mot.gov.vn  
Ms Nguyen Hai YEN Officer, WTO Division 
Multilateral Trade Policy Department 
Ministry of Trade 
 +84 4 8268538 ext 1173 
 
 +84 4 8264696 
 yennguyen@mot.gov.vn  
CAMBODIA     
Mr Sopheak SOK Deputy-Director General 
Ministry of Commerce +855 12 992 035 +855 23 210 728 sopheakoath@hotmail.com  
 
Mr Meng SEM Audit Officer 
Customs and Excise Department +855 12 873 044 +855 23 214 065 semmeng@hotmail.com  
 
Mr Chee Chien LOO Secretary-General 
Garment Manufacturers Association in Cambodia +855 12 282 288 
 +855 23 301180 
 kenloo@online.com.kh  
 
 
 
__________