Statement by Ambassador Shin-Yuan LAI of the
Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu,
Kinmen and Matsu on behalf of the Group of Recently Acceded Members (RAMs)
at the TNC Meeting
Monday, 7 April 2014

• Thank you, Mr. Chair.
• I speak today on behalf of the Group of Recently Acceded Members (the RAMs Group).
• First of all, the RAMs Group would like to thank you, Mr. Chair, and all the Chairs of the Negotiating Groups, for the updated assessment reports on the recent consultations since the previous TNC meeting on 6 February 2014.
• Our overall sense from the recent consultations of different configurations is that the parameters provided by the Director-General have been very useful guidance for discussions among Members, and we continue to believe in the value of those parameters. Among them, we underscore the principles of transparency and inclusiveness, as well as the centrality of the development dimension in the post-Bali work programme.
• The engagements since the previous TNC meeting have indicated that Members are highly committed to making progress in the multilateral trading system. In addition, we sense that commonalities are starting to emerge among Members. In particular, we see an emerging common view underlining the inter-connectivity and balance across the three core issues of the post-Bali work programme, that is, Agriculture, NAMA and Services – they should be tackled together, simultaneously. The RAMs Group fully supports this view.
• Mr. Chair, as you have correctly pointed out, this year, 2014, is a defining year for all of us here in the WTO. In Bali, our Ministers instructed all of us to develop the post-Bali work programme on the remaining DDA issues by the end of this year. That leaves us with less than nine months now. The clock is ticking, and we should not deviate from the course that our Ministers have set.
• Therefore, Members should exercise caution against reinventing the wheels across the board. Of course, all of us can agree on the need to stay creative and open-minded. At the same time, the RAMs Group sees it as a sensible approach to build upon the results and foundations that Members have achieved before today – sometimes through lengthy and painstaking process – so that we can move forward without returning back to square one.
• It is in this spirit that we continue to believe that the December 2008 modalities should be the basis for future work on Agriculture and NAMA. Meanwhile, we also stress the fact that the December 2008 modalities represent a stabilized outcome that reflects extensive discussions and negotiations among Members before today. This is a sensible and valuable basis for all of us to build upon.
• Another important basis for us to move forward is the fact that Members of the RAMs Group have already made extensive commitments during accessions, to the benefit of all Members. Ministers have recognized this fact, and in Hong Kong, Ministers clearly instructed Members to give due consideration to the special flexibility needs of the RAMs Group.
• This multilateral trading system is always the principal forum for promoting global trade. We therefore urge Members to complete the DDA and all its mandates, which include reaching a comprehensive final package. We should also be flexible to look at all possible approaches that can help achieve the completion of the Round.
• Once again, time is of the essence. Let’s re-double our efforts to deliver against the instructions Ministers gave us in Bali.
• Thank you.