The economics ministry says that Taiwan is expected to join a newly concluded information technology agreement by the World Trade Organization (WTO).
The ministry made the comments on Saturday. It said Taiwan will join the agreement after a consultation process with local industrial associations next week.
A total of 54 WTO members, including Taiwan, reached an IT agreement in Geneva Friday to allow a wide range of high-tech devices to enjoy a tariff-free status. The IT agreement is an expansion of the 1997 Information Technology Agreement. It is also the WTO’s first tariff-free accord in 18 years.
However, Taiwan is one of the five countries that did not sign the agreement, although it is one of the 54 participating WTO members to conclude the deal. During negotiations, Taiwan had insisted that flat panels be included into the agreement, but it failed to persuade other participants to do so. In addition to Taiwan, Turkey, Thailand, Colombia, and Mauritius also did not sign the agreement for different reasons. This left the deal short of a quorum needed to bring it into force for all 161 WTO members.