Press/241
Geneva, 10 September 2001
Moore urges completion of work on China and Chinese Taipei accessions
Director-General Mike Moore today urged °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ member governments involved in Working Parties on the accession of China and Chinese Taipei to resolve this week all outstanding issues on the accessions so that both can join the organization at the earliest possible date.
“We are very, very close to an historic moment,” Mr. Moore said. “Bringing China and Chinese Taipei into the °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ means making this organization closer to being a truly World Trade Organization. China and Chinese Taipei are the world's fifth and ninth largest traders respectively. Their membership in the rules-based multilateral trading system will bring greater stability and certainty to the global economy at a time when such stability is sorely needed. These accessions also offer the opportunity to use our system of rules and dispute settlement as an instrument of peace between peoples. I urge all parties to make every effort to bring resolution to these two accession bids.”