本內容由中華民國常駐世界貿易組織代表團協助撰擬。

我國出席WTO 第12屆部長會議（MC12）代表團團長發言

• 鄧政務委員振中MC12開幕發言（預錄影片）
  1. Thank you, DG Dr. Ngozi, for your leadership and dedication that keep us moving.
  2. Even though some constraints on international travel remain, we are gathered here in Geneva, giving our best to deliver as much as possible. This has certainly demonstrated our determination to revitalize the WTO and maintain the multilateral trading system.
  3. The Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu has been fortunate to enjoy an outstanding economic growth regardless of the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, our GDP growth was 6.45%, one of the best performing WTO Members in the world.
  4. Despite the challenges of the pandemic, our export and import reached USD$ 446.4 billion and USD$ 381.5 billion in 2021 respectively. Both of the figure grew by more than 30%.
     • Our semi-conductor sector is one of the best examples to illustrate this point.
     • Even during the peak of COVID-19, we still kept our market and trade open and free. We did not stop deepening trade and economic ties with our partners. We applied to join the CPTPP based on the fact that we are capable and willing to adhere to its high standards.
  5. We also engaged in dialogues to build economic partnerships with many trading partners on investment agreement, with a view to connect our businesses with overseas markets.
  6. We continue to perform well because we continue to adopt the following two things:
  7. First, we have been a strong supporter of the rule-based multilateral trading system.
     • In 2020, we lifted the import ban on pork with ractopamine by establishing the MRL.
     • In 2021, we lifted the import ban on food products from Fukushima and surrounding prefectures.
     • These decisions are integral parts of our efforts to further harmonize our trade regime with international standards and remove long-standing barriers to our trading partners.
     • Through these examples, we are demonstrating a pattern of complying with international trade rules and commitments that we made. We don’t abuse the system.
  8. Secondly, we are determined to safeguard a free, fair, open, transparent, and predictable trade and investment environment.
  9. Coming to the MC12 agenda, we would like to share our thoughts on some of the issues.
  10. On fishery subsidies,
      • We understand fully its complexity.
      • While we have high seas fishing fleets that are global industry leaders, we too have many domestic small-scale fishing communities and underserved fishermen that deserve extra help.
      • We support the elimination of fishery subsidies to vessels engaged in IUU fishing.
  11. On trade and public health and TRIPS waiver,
      • We believe that keeping supply chain normal and the free flow of essential goods and related services is paramount. Necessary, urgent measures should be taken in a WTO-consistent manner.
      • An effective distribution of vaccines, medicine, and diagnostics is crucial to global economic recovery. More ambitious measures to boost the production and fair distribution of medical goods and related supplies is urgently needed.
      • On TRIPS waiver, we support a text-based discussion that focused on vaccines. We are in the position that the scope of waiving TRIPS Agreement Article 31 requirements should have its limits, so that the integrity of the patent system can be maintained. It is our sincere hope that WTO members can reach agreement on the text promptly.
  12. On WTO reform,
      • WTO reform is a long-term goal that a balanced outcome can only be reached when we identify our priorities and methods first.
      • We are supportive of any proposals that restore a fully functioning dispute settlement mechanism.
      • We are one of 123 Members that propose to start the selection processes for filling vacancies on the Appellate Body as soon as we can.
  13. Finally, I want to talk about our expectations of the WTO. To revitalize the multilateral trading system and to ensure that trade remains the drive for growth, we have to make sure that all Members play by the rules, in order to uphold free and fair trade.
  14. No Member should be exempted from following the rules. Neither should any Member arbitrarily prevent the importation of certain products without timely notifications or justifiable reasons. Our pineapples, wax apples, and sugar apples have all fallen victims of such blunt and unreasonable actions.
  15. The WTO had its remarkable achievements pushing for global trade liberalization, and now we need to deliver concrete results and present a reinvigorated WTO, one that adapts to modern trade and promotes sustainable and inclusive development, and most importantly, one that guards free and fair trade and responds to our societies’ needs.
  16. Transparency is key to the faithful implementation of the WTO Agreement. We have been working with several Members to raise the issue in the WTO, and I urge all my colleagues to pay attention to arbitrary, un-transparent measures which restrict trade and harm the rules-based system. Such as:
      • excessively large subsidies, public aid to state-owned enterprises and uncompetitive firms that create massive manufacturing capacity
      • Sudden, unjustified and unprovoked SPS, registration measures against foreign companies
  17. Finally, I would like to reiterate that we will continue to work with all Members to make WTO MC 12 successful.
  18. Thank you very much.


 
• 鄧政務委員振中於2022年6月12日下午「多邊貿易體制面臨的挑戰」（Challenges Facing the Multilateral Trading System）會議發言
  1. Thank you, Chair for the floor.
  2. The Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu is of the view the challenges that the WTO is facing are multiple:
     1. The current war initiated by Russia against Ukraine shows that the WTO needs to be more capable of saving lives and livelihood by preventing humanitarian catastrophes from happening and by maintaining food supply chains.
     2. The COVID-19 pandemic reminds us that we are not sufficiently quick enough to respond to this pandemic. We need to identify the lesson we learn from this time to prepare ourselves for any future pandemic of similar nature.
     3. The WTO’s negotiation function needs to be revived to ensure that the WTO is relevant to the overall changes of technologies, environment, and economic situations. Allowing plurilateral approach to address some of such issues is of high importance and urgency.
     4. Many mega FTAs and economic cooperation are rapidly emerging. One of the examples is the CPTPP, which we applied to join. For many WTO Members, mega FTAs become their focus of efforts mainly because of the slowness of updating WTO rule-book and the WTO being not able to address their concern. We must address this issue.
     5. We are a strong supporter of the rule-based multilateral trading system. During the pandemic, we still insist our trade to be conducted fully based on WTO rules. We urge some Members which impose import bans to our fruits, fish, and other products to lift their restrictive measures. The multilateral system, including its dispute settlement system, needs reform to address unnecessary restrictions. After MC12, Members need to start discussing the reform without delay.
     6. Lastly, let me thank Dr. Ngozi for your leadership. My expectation from the Secretariat is that they will not only provide professional supports to Members, but also handle things in a fair and unbiased manner on sensitive issues.
  3. Last Chair, as a trade minister, let me assure you that my delegation will work constructively with Members to address whatever challenges that the WTO is encountering.
  4. Thank you!


 
• 鄧政務委員振中於2022年6月13日上午「非常時刻之因應－WTO因應疫情與TRIPS豁免」（Response to Emergencies: WTO Response to the Pandemic, including TRIPS Waiver）主題式會議發言
  1. Thank you chair for the floor.
  2. On the WTO Response to the pandemic
     1. Let’s me join other ministers in thanking Ambassador CASTILLO for the tireless effort to facilitate the whole discussions.
     2. We believe that maintaining supply chain and free flow of essential goods and related services is paramount. Any trade measures designed to tackle COVID-19, if deemed necessary, should be fully consistent with WTO rules.
     3. We also attach great importance on transparency commitment. A predictable and transparent policy would enable business operators to quickly adjust to the challenges they face.
     4. We note that Members have different consideration and experiences on the imposition of export restrictive measures. While we recognize the policy need in the face of an emergency, we are of the view that Members should review those restrictive measures and remove them as soon as circumstances permit.
     5. Mr. Chair, our expectation and commitment on this declaration is higher than the one that is in front of us now. But we understand that Members holding different positions have shown flexibility and willingness to deliver the result. We look forward to finalizing the work based on the current text.
     6. We must demonstrate in solidarity that trade policy and measures play a critical role in protecting lives, supporting livelihoods and paving the way for a sustainable global recovery.
     7. Also, very importantly, the declaration is not the end of our work. Rather, we assure our strong commitments to engaging constructively on all issues in the future work.
  3. On TRIPS waiver:
  4. We support the intellectual property element to be an essential part of the overall WTO response to the pandemic. While maintaining the essential principles of intellectual property right protection, waiving certain requirements under the TRIPS Agreement on vaccines for eligible Members within a limited time period to make vaccines more accessible for disadvantaged people in this critical juncture is a proper balance. We support finalizing the discussion based on these principles.
  5. Thank you, Chair.


 
• 鄧政務委員振中【因政委參與另外會議，故由羅大使代為宣讀】於2022年6月13日下午「非常時刻之因應－貿易與糧食安全部長宣言」與「豁免WFP採購出口限制決議」（Response to Emergencies: Declaration on Trade and Food Security, Decision on World Food Programme）主題式會議發言
  1. Thank you chair for the floor. I make the statement on behalf of my minister, who is now in another event.
  2. On the Declaration on Trade and Food Security:
  3. In our view, food insecurity mainly comes from the short supply of food, a very important reason of which is caused by unnecessary restriction on trade in food.
  4. Ensuring free flow of agriculture goods is the core function of the WTO, which in turn helps food security. It is, therefore, of vital importance that all Members not to impose export prohibitions or restrictions so as to keep the international agriculture trade open and predictable and to ensure that international trade in food is not disrupted.
  5. This is particularly critical for those Members, like mine, which rely on the international trade to safeguard their food supply. We believe that ensuring a proper functioning rule-based multilateral trading system can help respond to the emergencies and to protect food security.
  6. The draft Declaration reinsures Members’ commitment to facilitate trade in agriculture goods and not to impose unjustified export restriction. This is particularly important, especially during this current situation of global food insecurity.
  7. We therefore support this Declaration to be incorporated as a part of our MC12 outcome.
  8. On the Ministerial Decision on World Food Programme:
  9. We are of the view that the WFP exemption should be an important and urgent action to respond to the current food crisis of high humanitarian importance and to show to the world that the WTO is relevant.
  10. We believe that a Ministerial Decision on WFP provides a minimum support in strengthening global food security and benefiting the poorest and most vulnerable people. We, therefore, urge Members to reach consensus on this Decision.
  11. Thank you!


 
• 鄧政務委員振中於2022年6月14日上午「漁業補貼談判」（Fisheries Subsidies Negotiations）主題式會議發言
  1. Thank you, Facilitator.
  2. Let me first express our sincere gratitude to Ambassador Wills for the tireless efforts and leadership helping Members to come to this final stage with the ever-high hope to conclude the long-expected Fisheries Subsidies Agreement.
  3. The new text before us contains necessary compromises and well-balanced provisions. Although this Agreement is not perfect, but for the urgent protection of sustainable fish stocks, my delegation is ready to give full support to the new text.
  4. More specifically, we welcome the deletion of the non-specific fuel subsidies in Article 1.2, to replace it with a transparency obligation. We agree with the explanation document that Members do not have enough data to build up understanding on non-specific subsidies. The best solution for the current situation is to collect more relevant data for future discussion.
  5. Concerning the amendments in Article 5.5, the purpose of SDT provisions is to support developing country Members to progressively fulfill the obligations under this Agreement. Consequently, we support a “reasonable transition period” for developing country Members and a “reasonable geographic limitation” for artisanal fishing.
  6. We agree on the need to have a transparency obligation on forced labor in the Agreement. Such provision helps bring any forced labor practice to the awareness of respected Members. We agree to remove the bracket around Article 8.3(b).
  7. Article 11.3 on “territoriality issue” keeps strategic and constructive ambiguity, which is necessary for reaching consensus on this sensitive issue among Members. We agree that the current two paragraphs in Article 11.3 provide necessary comfort to Members and hence we welcome this amendment.
  8. It is time for Members to reach consensus and also the time to show the world that the WTO is capable of saving natural resources for our future generations.
  9. Thank you, Chair.


 
• 鄧政務委員振中【因政委參與另外會議，故由羅大使代為宣讀】於2022年6月14日下午「農業談判」（Agriculture Negotiation）主題式會議發言
  1. Thank you, Madam Facilitator. I am speaking on behalf of my Trade Minister, who is now in another meeting.
  2. We recognize the importance of having an agricultural outcome at MC12 and we are of the view that any agriculture negotiation outcome should be balanced.
  3. The draft Decision in front of us includes all agriculture negotiation topics for future work, with some topics being more advanced than others.
  4. As a net-food importing Member relying very much on international market for food supply, we believe that further disciplined Export Restrictions can provide certainty for food supply chain. This should be one of the focuses in our future discussions.
  5. We also share the view that agriculture has important functions of safeguarding food security, mitigating climate change, preserving traditional culture, and other functions that are not directly or indirectly related to trade. In this regard, “non-trade concerns” of agriculture should be fully considered in our future discussions.
  6. The Decision in front of us is not perfect, but it provides needed momentum and guidelines for our future work. We can accept this Decision and will continue our constructive engagement in helping achieve the goal of agriculture reform.
  7. Thank you, Madam Facilitator!


 
• 鄧政務委員振中於2022年6月14日下午「小團體會議」（MC12「成果文件」中有關女性經濟賦權、微中小企業及環境等三議題）發言
  1. Thank you, Facilitator, for convening this meeting.
  2. My conclusion is that we agree on removing the “square brackets” around the paragraphs on women empowerment, MSMEs and environment, and agree on the text as presented.
  3. As reflected in the preamble of the Marrakesh Agreement Establishing the WTO, the essential goals of the WTO include “raising standards of living and ensuring full employment.”
  4. Recognizing women’s economic empowerment in contributing to the sustainable economic growth and recognizing the important contribution of MSMEs to economic and social development are fully in line with the principle set forth in the preamble of the WTO Agreement.
  5. Also, the objective of sustainable development to protect and preserve the environment is an integral part of the preamble of the WTO Agreement.
  6. These three topics of women economic empowerment, MSMEs and environmental challenges not merely are relevant to the WTO, but also constitute very important part of the WTO’s goals.
  7. The current draft paragraphs do not create any new obligations on Members. They merely recognize the importance of these topics and instruct Members to explore the ways of addressing them.
  8. We do not see any negative implication from adopting these paragraphs. Instead, adopting these paragraphs helps the WTO to meet the expectation of the international society and to help build the credibility of our organization, not to mention the fact that these are the core elements of the fundamental of the WTO.
  9. I thank you, Facilitator.


 
• 鄧政務委員振中於2022年6月15日上午「WTO改革」（WTO Reform）主題式會議發言
  1. Thank you, Facilitator.
  2. We would like to express our support for the language regarding the WTO reform contained in the draft outcome document.
  3. Necessary reform of the WTO, including restoring a fully- and well-functioning dispute settlement system, is essential so that the WTO is capable of facing the challenges of the 21st century trading environment, responding to the urgencies which threaten human lives and livelihood, ensuring that the competitive basis is neutral, and effectively addressing any type of coercive measures.
  4. We support the guidelines specified in the draft text that the work must be open, transparent, and inclusive, and that the results must address the interests of all Members. We would like to see the process getting started right after MC12 under the General Council’s oversight.
  5. Facilitator, we will work constructively with Members toward a successful reform.
  6. Thank you, Facilitator.


 
• 鄧政務委員振中於2022年6月15日下午「電子商務工作計畫與免課徵關稅」（E-Commerce Work Programme and Moratorium）主題式會議發言
  1. Thank you, Madam Facilitator. I am speaking on behalf of my trade minister who is now in another event.
  2. The e-commerce moratorium has been implemented for 24 years. It has helped share and transfer of knowledge, know-how, information, and access to digital tools. It becomes indispensable in boosting economic growth and bridging the digital divide.
  3. The extension of moratorium is critical for many business sectors in virtually each and every Member and for the global business community.
  4. Very importantly, it is also vital for individual consumers to save their spendings and for the overall economies of all Members to thrive, especially at a time when the world desperately needs to recover from the pandemic and to promote supply chain resilience.
  5. The extension of moratorium would ensure a stable and predictable trading environment for the businesses, and benefit consumers resulting from the growth of the global ICT sector and digital economy.
  6. We have high expectation that the e-commerce moratorium can be continued at MC12 to show the world that the multilateral trading system is providing stable and predictable business environment and is NOT creating trade barriers to increase costs to business and consumers or widening the digital divide.
  7. We look forward to delivering the extension of e-commerce moratorium to continue the practice of not imposing customs duties on electronic transmissions, together with the E-commerce Work Programme.
  8. Thank you, Facilitator.