China
Names India, US, Australia at WTO for Restricting Telecom Services Trade
·
Under consideration were the LDC Services Waiver
·
The waiver
was formalized by a decision adopted at the 2011 Ministerial Conference.
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A total of
36 WTO members are classified as LDCs.
·
Ministers
decided at MC12 to extend the moratorium on e-commerce – under which members agreed
to continue the practice of not imposing customs duties on electronic transmissions.
·
four specific
trade concerns previously addressed in the Council involving cybersecurity measures
and 5-G-related measures among other topics.
·
China recalled
its concerns about Australia's 5G measures and repeated concerns with certain measures
from the United States related to specific Chinese mobile applications and telecom
providers. China also reiterated its concerns regarding India's measures in relation
to mobile applications.
·
services
trade had recovered partially in 2021, up 16 per cent. It noted that significant
variation existed among services sectors. The largest growth rates were recorded
for digitally delivered services, such as computer and insurance services, and for
freight transport.
WTO members discussed
how to follow up on outcomes from the 12th Ministerial Conference (MC12) and the
way forward for the Council for Trade in Services at a meeting of the Council held
on 14 October. Under consideration were the LDC Services Waiver, which seeks to
boost the participation of least-developed countries (LDCs) in services trade, and
the E-commerce Work Programme and Moratorium. The response to pandemics and WTO
reform were also among the MC12 outcomes discussed.
The chair of the Services Council, Ambassador Kemvichet Long of Cambodia, said he has started consulting with
WTO members on taking work forward and encouraged them to talk to each other to
come up with proposals. Members also raised various concerns about measures affecting
trade in services at the Council meeting.
Malawi, on behalf of the WTO
LDC Group, highlighted
that implementation of the services waiver was one of the priorities from the MC12
Outcome Document. Ministers' instructions to the Council included exploring
improvements in LDC services export data, reviewing information about suppliers
and consumers of LDC services in preference-granting members and learning which
best practices can facilitate the use of preferences.
Preference-granting members encouraged LDCs to share their
specific needs and to put forward concrete proposals, indicating their openness
to consider these proposals. The problem with data collection in many LDCs was highlighted.
A total of 51
members have notified preferences for LDC services and service suppliers under the
waiver. The waiver was formalized by a decision adopted
at the 2011 Ministerial Conference.
A total of 36 WTO members are classified as LDCs. More
information on the waiver can be found here.
The chair highlighted that ministers decided
at MC12 to extend
the moratorium on e-commerce – under which members agreed to continue
the practice of not imposing customs duties on electronic transmissions – and to
reinvigorate the Work Programme on Electronic Commerce, including
its development dimension.
Delegations discussed how the Services Council could complement
the work of the General Council on electronic commerce. They also indicated their
readiness to continue with the exchange of experiences and developments in the digital
sphere.
The chair reported on his consultations with members.
On the response to pandemics, members said they have no
concrete proposals but are open to discussing ideas brought forward by members.
Topics mentioned included transport and logistics, e-commerce and ICT-enabled services
and tourism, among other topics.
On WTO reform, members talked about complementing the
work of the General Council in the Council for Trade in Services and about ways
of strengthening the Council's monitoring and deliberative functions, including
improving members' notifications of services measures.
Members discussed four specific
trade concerns previously addressed in
the Council involving cybersecurity measures and 5-G-related measures among other
topics.
Japan and the United States, echoed by Australia, Canada
and the European Union, reiterated concerns about cybersecurity
measures of China and Viet Nam. China recalled its concerns about Australia's 5G measures and
repeated concerns with
certain measures from the United States related to specific Chinese mobile applications
and telecom providers. China also reiterated its concerns regarding
India's measures in relation to mobile applications.
The WTO Secretariat noted that services
trade had recovered partially in 2021, up 16 per cent. It noted that significant
variation existed among services sectors. The largest growth rates were recorded
for digitally delivered services, such as computer and insurance services, and for
freight transport, while sectors requiring cross-border mobility, such as passenger
transport, travel, and construction services, remained below pre-pandemic levels.
The WTO Secretariat also presented new data on intermediate
services trade involving services that serve as inputs to other economic activities.
New findings suggest that participation in intermediate services exports is positively
correlated with the Gross National Income per capita.
Many members took the floor to express their strong condemnation
of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and its subsequent actions. The Russian delegate
responded by saying that the WTO was not the proper venue for a discussion of this
nature.