US hails Taiwan's joining WTO procurement pact
Friday, 12 December 2008
WASHINGTON, Dec 11 (AFP): The United States yesterday welcomed Taiwan's membership in a WTO procurement agreement, saying it would assure US suppliers access to a market worth about 20 billion dollars annually.
"We are very pleased that we have been able to work closely with Taiwan to achieve this major market-opening result," US Trade Representative Susan Schwab said following Taiwan's accession to the WTO Agreement on Government Procurement (GPA).
The GPA is a plurilateral WTO pact, meaning that WTO members may choose to join it but are not automatically party to it by virtue of membership of the global trade watchdog group.
Taiwan is the first new party to join the agreement since 1997. The GPA now covers 41 WTO Members.
"US suppliers will be assured access to procurement opportunities in Taiwan worth approximately 20 billion dollars annually," Schwab's office said in a statement.
"Firms from Taiwan will be eligible to compete for US and state government procurement that is covered by the GPA," it said.
Washington switched its diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing in 1979, but has remained the island's leading arms supplier.
Despite protests from China, the Pentagon recently proposed a 6.5-billion-dollar arms sale to Taiwan that would include advanced interceptor missiles, Apache attack helicopters and submarine-launched missiles.
"We are very pleased that we have been able to work closely with Taiwan to achieve this major market-opening result," US Trade Representative Susan Schwab said following Taiwan's accession to the WTO Agreement on Government Procurement (GPA).
The GPA is a plurilateral WTO pact, meaning that WTO members may choose to join it but are not automatically party to it by virtue of membership of the global trade watchdog group.
Taiwan is the first new party to join the agreement since 1997. The GPA now covers 41 WTO Members.
"US suppliers will be assured access to procurement opportunities in Taiwan worth approximately 20 billion dollars annually," Schwab's office said in a statement.
"Firms from Taiwan will be eligible to compete for US and state government procurement that is covered by the GPA," it said.
Washington switched its diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing in 1979, but has remained the island's leading arms supplier.
Despite protests from China, the Pentagon recently proposed a 6.5-billion-dollar arms sale to Taiwan that would include advanced interceptor missiles, Apache attack helicopters and submarine-launched missiles.