ENDPRESS RELEASE
PRESS/253
11 November 2001
(01-5667)
WTO MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE APPROVES
ACCESSION OF CHINESE TAIPEI
The WTO’s Ministerial Conference approved today, 11 November, by consensus the text of
the agreement for Chinese Taipei’s entry into the WTO. Chinese Taipei will become legally a
member 30 days after the WTO receives notification of the ratification of the agreement by Chinese
Taipei ’s Parliament.
The documents adopted today by the Conference are the report of the Working Party for the
Accession of Chinese Taipei, the Protocol of Accession, which includes the terms of membership, and
the schedule of Chinese Taipei’s commitments on market access for goods and services.
WTO Director-General Mike Moore welcomed the acceptance of Chinese Taipei into the
rules-based trading system. “With Chinese Taipei’s membership, the WTO is taking yet another step
towards achieving universal membership”, said Mr. Moore. “This is an important step and one which
I’m sure will enhance even further economic cooperation and will promote trade exchanges in a very
dynamic region of the world”, he added.
The Director-General also said “In the last two years the WTO Membership has increased by
seven: Albania, Croatia, Georgia, Jordan, Lithua nia, Moldova, Oman, and with another 28 seeking
membership”.
After the Ministerial Conference approved the accession, the head of delegation of Chinese
Taipei, Mr. Lin Hsin-I, Minister of Economic Affairs, said:  "This event not only illustrates the
support and acknowledgement we receive from the WTO Members, but also represents the trust and
commitments of our 23 million people toward the multilateral trading system embodied by the WTO."
Under the chairmanship of Martin R. Morland, United Kingdom, the Working Party
concluded on 18 September almost 12 years of nego tiations with Chinese Taipei and agreed to
forward the legal text for formal acceptance by the 142 Member governments of the WTO.
As a result of this negotiation, Chinese Taipei has agreed to undertake a series of
commitments to open and liberalize its trade regime even further in order to provide better access to
its markets to foreign suppliers of goods and services in accordance with WTO rules.
For further information and background on Chinese Taipei’s membership of the WTO please
go to http://www.wto.org/english/news_e/pres01_e/pr244_e.htm