On May 29, Beijing 2012 Round Table on WTO Accession Best Practices for Least Developed Countries was held in Beijing. Minister of Commerce Chen Deming attended and addressedthe opening ceremony. The full text is as follows:

Speech by Chen Deming at the Opening Ceremony of Beijing 2012 Round Table on WTO Accession Best Practices for Least Developed Countries

Chen Deming

(Beijing, May 29, 2012)

Respected Vice Prime Minister Fonotoe of Samoa,
Respected Director-General Lamy,
Respective ministers, ladies and gentlemen:

Good morning, everyone! First of all, I’d like to, on behalf of the Chinese Government, welcome your attendance to Beijing 2012 Round Table on WTO Accession Best Practices for Least Developed Countries.

The least developed countries are important members of the international community, and the Chinese Government has always highly valued the development problems faced by them. We have earnestly fulfilled the commitments to the UN’s Millennium Declaration, responded to Monterrey Consensus, constantly increased our aids to trade of the least developed countries and assisted these countries in integrating into multilateral trading system, developing productivity and improving the competitiveness of exports, so as to attain diversified economy and sustainable development. China has since 2008 become the largest export market of the least developed countries for three consecutive years by absorbing 23% of the exports from them. The annual growth of China’s imports from the least developed countries in 2000-2010 was 24%, far higher than that of developed member countries in the same period. In November 2011, China declared zero tariff on 97% of tax items of the least developed countries, sincerely fulfilling the commitments of Hong Kong Ministerial Declaration and contributing to the negotiation on “double exemption” (exemption of tariff and quota) of Doha Round.

Effective participation in multilateral trading system represented by WTO is an important way and necessary guarantee for the least developed countries to integrate into economic globalization and benefit from it and get rid of poverty. Admission to WTO is a painstaking progress entailing substantial investment of human, material and financial resources. Moreover, the least developed countries with scarce resources and poor foundation are faced with grimmer challenges. The least developed countries having entered WTO cannot fully benefit from multilateral trading system because of the restrictions by their own development level. China, a developing country, takes 15 years to enter WTO and thus is deeply aware of the complexity and arduousness of WTO accession. And just because of this, China has made and will continue to make efforts to help the least developed countries in joining WTO at an earlier date.

First, China will continue to donate money to WTO’s “Aid for Trade”, enhance the cooperation with WTO’s Secretariat and do a good job in implementing China Project of WTO Accession for Least Developed Countries. We hope we can help the least developed countries understand the accession procedures and get familiar with WTO’s rules and operating procedures through holding seminars on accession of the least developed countries and funding the students who come from the least developed countries to work as trainees in WTO’s Secretariat.
Second, we will continue to actively promote the simplification of accession of the least developed countries. In the past 10 years, only five of the least developed countries joined WTO. So we intend to, together with other member countries, actively contribute to the negotiation on further simplifying the procedures of WTO accession for the least developed countries at the 8th Ministerial Meeting of WTO; and to actively respond the demands from the least developed countries on commitments regarding market access standards, special and differential treatments.

Third, China is the only WTO member country which promises not to propose market access requirement for the least developed countries during the negotiation. What’s more, we also share the experience of accession with the least developed countries and provide suggestions on accession for them through bilateral negotiation and seminar. Currently, Mr. Yi Xiaozhun, China’s ambassador in WTO and president of Laos Accession Project, is actively assisting Laos in joining WTO as soon as possible. Today, ministers from Laos and Yemen, another country having the priority to join WTO, are both present. We sincerely hope that these two countries with the least development level could enter WTO at an earlier date under the help of our concerted efforts.

Ladies and gentlemen,

China consistently holds that the more the least developed countries enter WTO at an earlier date, the further the representativeness and universality of WTO will be enhanced. Consolidating and enhancing multilateral trading system will bring win-win outcomes. As the Chinese saying goes, “The fire burns high when everybody adds wood to it”. Under such spirit, we hope WTO member countries try to reach an agreement on simplifying the accession procedures of the least developed countries by July this year, so as to provide institutional convenience and guarantee for accession of the least developed countries, include more countries with the least development level into WTO and jointly promote the realization of better development of multilateral trading system.

Finally, I sincerely hope this meeting will prove a success, Thank you!