The World Trade Organization (WTO) has lauded the donations Taiwan has made to programs that help emerging countries.
Taiwan signed a memorandum of understanding with the WTO Secretariat to donate US$80,000 a year for three years from 2014 to 2016 to a plant and animal health initiative through the WTO’s Standards and Trade Development Facility.
In a statement released on Friday, Taiwan’s foreign ministry said the WTO Secretary-General Roberto Azevedo welcomed Taiwan’s contributions and said they were playing a role in helping developing and least developed countries strengthen their links with world markets.
The ministry said the agreement with the WTO underscores Taiwan’s support of the development of a multilateral trade system. The ministry also said since Taiwan became a WTO member in 2002, it has continued to actively take part in various WTO activities and make donations to help developing countries integrate into the multilateral trading system.
According to WTO statistics, Taiwan is the third biggest donor to WTO programs among developing country members. The foreign ministry said this demonstrates that Taiwan is a responsible member of the WTO and is giving back to the world community.