08:30-09:30

Registration/International Convention Hall, College of Law, National Taiwan University

21 Hsu-Chow Road, Taipei, Taiwan

09:30-09:40

Opening Ceremony

09:40-10:30

First Keynote Speech

  Ambassador Ching-Chang Yen, former Permanent Representative of Taiwan to the WTO,” An Observation on the Future Multilateral Trading System”

10:30-10:45

Coffee Break

10:45-12:10

Session I: Development and Implementation Issues and Asian WTO Members

Most Asian countries are developing Members of the WTO. The current Doha Development Agenda posts great relevance with and importance to economies in this region. Also implementation has been an important issue in the WTO negotiations. In this session, discussions will be on the development and implementation issues and their relations with or implication to Asian countries.

Chair:

  Ambassador Ching-Chang Yen

Speakers:

  Professor Chang-Fa Lo, Dean, College of Law, National Taiwan University, (title of the paper to be decided)

12:10-13:30

Lunch Break

13:30-15:20

Session II: Market Access, Import Relief and Asian WTO Members

Market access negotiations have been one of the most difficult areas in the current Doha round. Antidumping and other trade remedies are not only important areas of negotiations, but also the areas deeply affecting the exports and imports of this region. It is hoped that discussions in this session will focus more on the situations of Asian countries regarding market access and import relief and the Asian perspectives on these issues.

Chair:

  Professor Chang-Fa Lo

Speakers:

  Professor Ichiro Araki, Professor of Law, International Graduate School of Social Sciences, Yokohama National University, “Japan's Trade Agenda in the Current Negotiations: Market Access and Rule-making”

  Professor Harry Herminio Roque, Director, Institute of International Legal Studies, College of Law, University of the Philippines, “Philippine Jurisprudence on anti-dumping, countervailing, and safeguard measures”

15:20-15:35

Coffee Break

15:35-17:00

Session III: Trade in Services and Asian WTO Members

Service negotiations have been on both liberalization of service markets and on the establishment of rules. The negotiations have not been very effectively conducted at the current stage. Papers presented in this session will be exploring the possible approaches or other aspects of negotiations on market access or rules of services.

Chair:

  Professor Connie Guang-Hwa Yang, Senior Advisor of National Security Council and Associate Professor of Law, National Chengchi University

Speakers:

  Professor Shin-Yi Peng, Member of WTO Research Center, College of Law, National Taiwan University and Associate Professor of Institute of Law for Science and Technology, National Tsing Hua University,“Movement of Natural Persons in the Provision of Services: Challenges and Opportunities in Asia”

09:00-09:40

Second Keynote Speech

  Professor Mitsuo Matsushita, Seikei University, “The Tenth Anniversary of the WTO”

09:40-11:10

Session IV: New Issues and Asian WTO Members

The term “New Issues” used here refers to the linkages or interfaces between trade and the areas of investment, environment, competition, labor, etc. The linkage issues had been discussed very seriously since the establishment of the WTO. Although WTO Members had decided in July Package not to continue negotiations on competition and investment, Members decide to keep on their negotiations on the relations between trade and environment. In any event, some reflections on the interfaces between trade and other fields should be of importance for Asian WTO Members. Speaker will present their views on any one or more of these areas from Asian perspectives.

Chair:

  Professor Chin Leng Lim

Speaker:

  Professor Wen-Chen Shih, Member of WTO Research Center, College of Law, National Taiwan University and Associate Professor of National Chengchi University, “Trade and Environment Linkages and Challenges Facing Asian WTO Members” 

  Professor Huei-Chih Niu, Member of WTO Research Center, College of Law, National Taiwan University and Associate Professor of Institute of Law for Science and Technology, National Tsing Hua University (title of the paper to be decided), “Safe Trade-An End of the WTO or a Means to the other End?”

  Professor Michael Sheng-Ti Gau, Member of WTO Research Center, College of Law, National Taiwan University and Associate Professor of Kaohsiung University, “Asia Perspectives of Fishery Subsidy Issues and the Linkage with Environment”

11:10-11:20

Coffee Break

11:20-12:50

Session V: TRIPS and Asian WTO Members

Negotiations in TRIPS area have been on some broad issues, such as health issues and the higher protection of geographical indications. Asian countries should be of great interest in negotiating on this topic and discussing the Asian perspectives toward these issues. It is hoped that papers will provide foundations for participants to consider the interests that Asian countries can acquire from the negotiations.

Chair:

  Professor Ichiro Araki

Speaker:

  Professor Kuei-Jung Ni, Member of WTO Research Center, College of Law, National Taiwan University and Associate Professor of National Chiao Tung University, “The Incorporation of CBD Mandate on Access and Benefit-sharing into TRIPS Regime: a preliminary appraisal on the appeal of Asian genetically rich countries”

  Dr. Phillip Patrick Newell, Ph.D., International Relations, Georgetown University and Student of Ph. D. Program, College of Law, National Taiwan University, “Protecting Traditional Art and Folklore Through TRIPS” 

12:50-14:00

Lunch Break

14:00-15:30

Session VI: Dispute Settlement under DSU and Asian WTO Members

The dispute settlement mechanism established under the WTO has played important role in solving differences between WTO Members and strengthening the WTO regime. Asian Members have become complaining and responding parties to a number of important cases. Discussions in this session could be on the implication on Asian countries of DSU and its negotiations.

Chair:

  Professor Mitsuo Matsushita

Speaker:

  Professor Chin Leng Lim, National University of Singapore, “Amicus Brief Issue at the WTO”

  Professor Henry Gao, Faculty of Law, University of Hong Kong,“Dispute Settlement Practices of the East Asian States”

15:30-15:40

Coffee Break

15:40-17:10

Session VII: Cooperation among Asian Economies, RTAs and WTO

There have been cooperation arrangements among many Asian economies in different forms. Regional cooperation is also an important theme in other regions. Comparison between different regional cooperation arrangements and the exploration of future cooperation among Asian economies in a more in-depth and broader manner could be some of the focuses of the discussions in this session.

Chair:

  Professor Chang-fa Lo

Speaker:

  Professor Yong Fu Gao, Director and Professor of Law, WTO Research Institute in Shanghai, Institute of Foreign Trade, “Multilateralism or Regionalism?--China's Choice”

  Professor Won-Mog Choi, Professor of College of Law, Ewha Womans University, Korea, “WTO Jurisprudence and Making a Regional Trade Agreement with Non-WTO-Member Economies in Asia”

17:10-17:20

Closing Remarks