Following are excerpts from each of the areas considered in the IAP Peer Review Report Study Report on Chinese Taipei.
Tariffs - Chinese Taipei has bound 100% of its tariff lines. According to the tariff chapter of the IAP, 30.9% of these lines are duty-free. While this percentage is lower than those of advanced APEC member economies, it is well above the percentage of developing member economies.
Non-Tariff Barriers - Chinese Taipei has undertaken enormous liberalization concessions upon accession to the WTO, removing prohibitions and restrictions on hundreds of products, and remains engaged for further liberalization within the multilateral negotiation process. Thus, it has made significant progress toward the Bogor Goals. It has mechanisms for constant review of products that could be removed from the prohibition or licensing lists.
Services - Chinese Taipei has liberalized much of its services sector for foreign competition and foreign investment. Thus, it has made substantial progress toward the Bogor Goals. However, as with most other APEC member economies, substantial barriers or requirements remain for certain services industries. Some of these barriers may be addressed in the Doha Development Round services negotiations, but some may not. Chinese Taipei is encouraged to examine its remaining barriers to see whether the barriers currently in place are truly justified.
Investment - Chinese Taipei is well aware of the importance of investment, and has encouraged investment throughout its development. In the last decade, it has placed more emphasis on attracting foreign investment, and as its economy has developed, it has increased its overseas investment as well. Because of its own development experience with FDIs, Chinese Taipei considers it an important policy tool for economic growth. It wants to attract more inbound direct investments, especially in services related industries and high knowledge-intensive sectors, to help in the shift to a more knowledge-based economy.
Standards and Conformance - In the area of standards and conformance, Chinese Taipei has made substantial progress toward the Bogor Goals. Chinese Taipei believes in the advantage of having the Chinese Taipei standards harmonized with international ones. It is moving quite rapidly towards it, with 71% of harmonizable domestic standards already in accord with international standards since October 2005. Customs Procedures - Customs procedures is another area where Chinese Taipei made impressive progress. Even though Chinese Taipei is not a formal member of the World Customs Organization (WCO), it is implementing much of the Revised Kyoto Convention, and has already achieved impressive results. Chinese Taipei has already implemented many of the measures, which have been proposed by WTO members in the context of Doha Development Agenda negotiations on trade facilitation. Intellectual Property Rights - As with other chapters of the IAP, Chinese Taipei considers the Bogor Goals as a principle to be striven for, rather than a goal to be achieved. Thus, Chinese Taipei is committed to making continual efforts to reduce barriers in its trade and investment regime, including matters related to intellectual property rights (IPRs).
Competition Policy - Chinese Taipei has made significant improvements in its competition policy regime, and has enforced its competition policy vigorously. While some exceptions to its competition policy, as well as some recent changes have the potential to weaken competition policy, economic case can be made on the usefulness of these exceptions and policy changes, and there is no evidence that these exceptions and policy changes have reduced the competitive environment of Chinese Taipei. Thus, it has made significant progress toward the Bogor Goals.
Government Procurement - Chinese Taipei authorities consider liberalization of the government procurement regime, along the lines of the WTO Government Procurement Agreement, as an adequate fulfillment of the Bogor Goals. Chinese Taipei has reached agreement with existing Parties on the substance of its terms of accession to the plurilateral Agreement on Government Procurement.
Deregulation / Regulatory Review - Chinese Taipei is implementing regulatory review and reform in diverse areas. However, it should be emphasized that these areas were not chosen randomly or in a haphazard fashion, but through consultation with stakeholders and diverse range of interested parties, and most of these reviews are parts of comprehensive reform programs. Chinese Taipei authorities have emphasized that they incorporate opinions from not only domestic stakeholders, but non-Chinese Taipei stakeholders as well.
Dispute Mediation - In the case of Chinese Taipei, for government-to-government disputes, like many other APEC member economies, the most important dispute mediation and settlement mechanism is the WTO dispute settlement mechanism. Since its accession in 2002, Chinese Taipei has participated in thirty four cases as a third party, and has requested for two consultations. The two cases involve steel safeguards by the United States, and anti-dumping measures by India. Business Mobility - Chinese Taipei visa and immigration policy is sufficiently liberal for business visitors and alien workers, particularly professional or white-collar workers. Chinese Taipei should be commended for its transparency and efficient immigration process, and in its active participation in the APEC Business Mobility Group activities.
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