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- METI Parliamentary Vice-Minister Yoshida Attends WTO Mini-Ministerial Meeting Hosted by the United Arab Emirates (Online)
METI Parliamentary Vice-Minister Yoshida Attends WTO Mini-Ministerial Meeting Hosted by the United Arab Emirates (Online)
December 12, 2023
On Monday, December 11, 2023, a WTO Mini-Ministerial Meeting was held online, hosted by the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the chair of the 13th WTO Ministerial Conference (MC13) to be held in February 2024. Representatives of participating members exchanged views regarding development and e-commerce. As representatives of Japan, Mr. Yoshida Nobuhiro, Parliamentary Vice-Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, and Mr. Tsuji Kiyoto, State Minister for Foreign Affairs, attended the meeting.
1. Overview of the meeting
On Monday, December 11, 2023, a WTO Mini-Ministerial Meeting was held online, hosted by the UAE, and as representatives of Japan, Mr. Yoshida Nobuhiro, Parliamentary Vice-Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, and Mr. Tsuji Kiyoto, State Minister for Foreign Affairs, attended the meeting. The meeting focused on the subject of ways to achieve concrete outcomes at MC13 in the fields of development and e-commerce, and representatives of participating members exchanged views, with H.E. Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, WTO Director-General in attendance.
The UAE, Australia, Brazil, Cameroon, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Djibouti, the EU, Honduras, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Japan, Saudi Arabia, the Republic of Korea, Mauritius, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, the Philippines, Russia, Samoa, Singapore, South Africa, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, the United States, Uruguay, and the WTO
2. Details of comments (Parliamentary Vice-Minister Yoshida)
- We are in a phase where constructive discussions are needed to reach an agreement on the Moratorium on Customs Duties on Electronic Transmission ahead of MC13 scheduled about two months away.
- In addition, ensuring free electronic transmission will contribute to business productivity and innovations, including in SMEs, by providing stability and predictability in digital trade, thereby leading to the realization of a digital society which developing countries are also pursuing.
- Furthermore, we should return to the WTO’s fundamental principles, namely raising living standards through trade liberalization and expansion, and we need to make the Moratorium permanent at MC13, or at least extendit.
Related Links
Division in Charge
Multilateral Trade System Department, Trade Policy Bureau