NO DEAL?Local flat panel makers’ insistence on being included in an expanded tariff elimination pact could derail plans to have it approved by tomorrow, an official said

Taipei Times
Date: Jul 23, 2015
By: Lauly Li  /  Staff reporter

Plans to expand the WTO’s Information Technology Agreement (ITA) tariff elimination program might not come to fruition if Taiwan insists on including flat panels on the list, Minister of Economic Affairs John Deng (鄧振中) said yesterday.

“Taiwanese information technology products account for 5 to 7 percent of the export value of global information technology products, which makes Taiwan a critical player in the ITA negotiations,” Deng told reporters on the sidelines of a media event.

Last weekend, the US, China, South Korea and other WTO members reached a preliminary agreement in Geneva, Switzerland, to add 201 new IT items to the tariff-elimination list.     [FULL  STORY]