May 2014

Global Industry Urges APEC
Economies to Jump-Start ITA Expansion
Negotiations
Industry associations from around the world urge the AsiaPacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) trade ministers
gathering in Qingdao, China May 17-18 to take active steps
to restart the tariff-elimination negotiations to significantly
expand product coverage of the Information Technology
Agreement (ITA).
These negotiations made tremendous progress last year, butwere suspended in November when all the negotiating
parties could not agree on a final list of products to be
included in an expanded ITA.
This was unfortunate as the ITA is one of the mostcommercially successful trade agreements in the World
Trade Organization (WTO), and an expanded ITA would doeven more to help drive innovation, accelerate productivity,create jobs, lower consumer prices, and bridge communities
across the globe in ways unimagined 18 years ago when theagreement was established.
Product expansion of the ITA, as well as expansion ofgeographic scope of the agreement would yield immediateand substantial benefits, removing tariffs on a vast array oftech products not currently covered.
APEC has deep ties with ITA. APEC ministers meeting inSingapore in 1995 played a critical role in helping to launch
the ITA. More recently, the 21 APEC leaders in October
2013 called for conclusion of ITA negotiations before theWTO ministerial meeting in early December of last year.
We therefore urge the APEC economies participating in thenegotiations to exercise strong leadership, embrace the longterm benefits of ITA expansion, and limit product sensitivities
so an ambitious outcome can be achieved as soon aspossible.
The APEC Ministers Responsible for Trade have an excellentopportunity in Qingdao this month to re-energize APEC’s ties
with the ITA by providing the leadership and determination toget the expansion negotiations restarted. We very much

hope they don’t miss this opportunity.
We continue to be deeply committed to working closely with
our governments to achieve a swift and ambitious outcomethat will expand trade, stimulate growth, increase jobs, spur
innovation, and promote prosperity around the world.

Advanced Medical Technology Association (AdvaMed, USA) - American Chamber of Commerce of El Salvador (AmCham El Salvador, El Salvador) - American Chamber of Commerce in India (AmCham India, India) - American
Chamber of Commerce in Thailand (AmCham Thailand, Thailand) - American Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam (AmCham Vietnam, Vietnam) - Association of Electronic Industries in Singapore (AEIS, Singapore) - Association ofThai ICT Industry (ATCI, Thailand) - Australian Information Industry Association (AIIA, Australia) - Brazilian Association of IT Companies (ASSEPRO, Brazil) - BSA | The Software Alliance (BSA, USA) - Camara de Industrias deCosta Rica (CICR, Costa Rica) - Camera & Imaging Products Association (CIPA, Japan) - Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters (CME, Canada) - China Semiconductor Industry Association (CSIA, China) - Colombian Software andIT Industry Federation (FEDESOFT, Colombia) - Communications and Information Network Association of Japan (CIAJ, Japan) - Communications and Manufacturing Association of India (CMAI, India) - Computer andCommunications Industry Association (CCIA, USA) - Computer Society of Kenya (Kenya) - Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA, USA) - Consumer Electronics Association (CEA, USA) - Costa Rican Chamber ofInformation and Communications Technologies (CAMTIC, Costa Rica) - Consumer Electronics Retailers Coalition (CERC, USA) - Consumer Electronics Technology Industry Association (CETIA, USA) - Costa Rican-AmericanChamber of Commerce (AmCham Costa Rica, Costa Rica) - DIGITALEUROPE (DIGITALEUROPE, EU) - Egyptian Information Telecom, Electronics and S/W Alliance (Eitesal, Egypt) - Electro-Federation Canada (EFC, Canada) The European Engineering Industries Association (ORGALIME, EU) - European Semiconductor Industry Association (ESIA, EU) - Entertainment Software Association (ESA, USA) - Entertainment Software Association of Canada(ESAC, Canada) - Federation of Hellenic ICT Enterprises (SEPE, Greece) - The Federation of Korean Information Industries (FKII, Korea) - Guatemalan Software Commission (SOFEX, Guatemala) - Hong Kong Electronic Industries
Association (HKEIA, Hong Kong) - Hong Kong Information Technology Federation (HKITF, Hong Kong) - Ibero American Federation of IT Associations (ALETI, Latin America) - ICT Associations of Jordan (int@j, Jordan) - ICTChamber of Commerce - MASIT (MASIT, Macedonia) - IKT-Norge (Norway) - INFOBALT (Lithuania) - Infocomm Technology Association of the Philippines (ITAP, Philippines) - Information & Computer Technologies Industry
Association (APKIT, Russia) - Information Technology Association of Canada (ITAC, Canada) - Information Technology Association of Nigeria (ITAN, Nigeria) - Information Technology Industry Council (ITI, USA) - Intellect (UnitedKingdom) - Interactive Games & Entertainment Association (iGEA, Australia and New Zealand) - Interactive Software Federation of Europe (ISFE, EU) - Israel Association of Electronics and Software Industries (IAESI, Israel) - Japan
Business Council in Europe (JBCE, Japan-EU) - Japan Business Machine and Information System Industries Association (JBMIA, Japan) - The Japan Electrical Manufacturers' Association (JEMA, Japan) - Japan Electronics andInformation Technology Industries Association (JEITA, Japan) - Japan Information Technology Services Industry Association (JISA, Japan) - Korea Electronic Association (KEA, Korea) - Korea Semiconductor Industry Association(KSIA, Korea) - National Association of Manufacturers (NAM, USA) - National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA, USA) - National ICT and Multimedia Association of Malaysia (PIKOM, Malaysia) - National ICT
Confederation of the Philippines (NICP, Philippines) - PRBA-The Rechargeable Battery Association (USA) - Semiconductor and Electronics Industries in the Philippines (SEIPI, Philippines) - Semiconductor Equipment & Materials
International (SEMI, USA) - Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA, USA) - Singapore Semiconductor Industry Association (SSIA, Singapore) - Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA, USA) - Taipei Computer
Association (TCA, Taiwan) - Taiwan Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers' Association (TEEMA, Taiwan) - Taiwan Semiconductor Industry Association (TSIA, Taiwan) - TechAmerica (USA) - Technology CEO Council (TCC, USA) Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA, USA) - Transatlantic Business Council (TBC, USA-EU) - United States Council for International Business (USCIB, USA) - United States Chamber of Commerce (USA) - United States
Information Technology Office (USITO, USA) - Vietnam Electronics Industries Association (VEIA, Vietnam) - World Information Technology and Services Alliance (WITSA, USA) - World Semiconductor Council (WSC)
For more information, contact mmedrano@itic.org