| Statement by Mr. LI Enheng, Minister and Deputy Representative of China, at WTO Trade Policy Review Meeting on Mauritius |
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| Tuesday,April 29,2008 Posted: 18:08 BJT(08 GMT) |
| From:wto mission Article type:Original |
Mr. Chairman,
I would like to join the previous speakers in expressing our warm welcome to the delegation of Mauritius headed by H.E. Mr. Neewoor, Secretary for Foreign Affairs. I take this opportunity to thank the Secretariat and the Mauritian government for the tremendous efforts they have made for the review. We would also like to extend our thanks to the discussant, Mr. Henning Stiro of Norway, for his insightful observation on the trade policy of Mauritius.
Mr. Chairman, China is glad to note that Mauritius has experienced a continued annual economic growth of 5.1% since 2003. We welcome the outward-looking orientation of Mauritius’ trade regime and the bold reforms in its trade liberalization process, with its simple average MFN applied tariff reduced from 19.9% in 2001 to 6.6% in 2007. As the Secretariat report puts it, this regime helps explain Mauritius' good economic performance during the period under review and the high ratio of trade in goods and services to its GDP.
China and Mauritius have enjoyed a sound and mutually-beneficial economic and trade relationship in recent years, and have become important trading partners to each other. In 2007, our two-way trade reached 289 million US dollars, an increase of 41% over the previous year. Furthermore, China and Mauritius have developed both extensive and intensive cooperation in the fields of direct investment, engineering technology and contracting services. By the end of 2007, 36 Chinese companies have directly invested and more than two dozens of companies have provided their contracting services in Mauritius. A newly approved industrial park in Mauritius invested by China’s Tianli group is expected to accommodate high-end, value-adding industries and provide numerous opportunities of employment for the people of Mauritius in the coming years.
Mr. Chairman, we also commend Mauritius for its active and constructive role in the multilateral trading system. Since launching the Doha Round negotiations, Mauritius has been acting as a strong defender of the interests of developing countries, including those of the SVEs. We particularly appreciate Ambassador Servansing for his wisdom and dedication as Chairman of the Committee of Trade and Development. It is our belief that Mauritius will continue to play this important role in the multilateral trading system. China will, as always, continue to work closely with Mauritius and other Members of the organization to bring the Development Round negotiations to a successful conclusion.
Finally, we wish the trade policy review of Mauritius a success.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
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