1. No category

May 2014
Global Industry Urges APEC
Economies to Jump-Start ITA Expansion
Negotiations
Industry associations from around the world urge the AsiaPacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) trade ministers
gathering in Qingdao, China May 17-18 to take active steps
to restart the tariff-elimination negotiations to significantly
expand product coverage of the Information Technology
Agreement (ITA).
These negotiations made tremendous progress last year, but
were suspended in November when all the negotiating
parties could not agree on a final list of products to be
included in an expanded ITA.
This was unfortunate as the ITA is one of the most
commercially successful trade agreements in the World
Trade Organization (WTO), and an expanded ITA would do
even more to help drive innovation, accelerate productivity,
create jobs, lower consumer prices, and bridge communities
across the globe in ways unimagined 18 years ago when the
agreement was established.
Product expansion of the ITA, as well as expansion of
geographic scope of the agreement would yield immediate
and substantial benefits, removing tariffs on a vast array of
tech products not currently covered.
APEC has deep ties with ITA. APEC ministers meeting in
Singapore in 1995 played a critical role in helping to launch
the ITA. More recently, the 21 APEC leaders in October
2013 called for conclusion of ITA negotiations before the
WTO ministerial meeting in early December of last year.
We therefore urge the APEC economies participating in the
negotiations to exercise strong leadership, embrace the longterm benefits of ITA expansion, and limit product sensitivities
so an ambitious outcome can be achieved as soon as
possible.
The APEC Ministers Responsible for Trade have an excellent
opportunity in Qingdao this month to re-energize APEC’s ties
with the ITA by providing the leadership and determination to
get the expansion negotiations restarted. We very much
hope they don’t miss this opportunity.
We continue to be deeply committed to working closely with
our governments to achieve a swift and ambitious outcome
that will expand trade, stimulate growth, increase jobs, spur
innovation, and promote prosperity around the world.
Advanced Medical Technology Association (AdvaMed, USA) - American Chamber of Commerce of El Salvador (AmCham El Salvador, El Salvador) - American Chamber of Commerce in India (AmCham India, India) - American
Chamber of Commerce in Thailand (AmCham Thailand, Thailand) - American Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam (AmCham Vietnam, Vietnam) - Association of Electronic Industries in Singapore (AEIS, Singapore) - Association of
Thai ICT Industry (ATCI, Thailand) - Australian Information Industry Association (AIIA, Australia) - Brazilian Association of IT Companies (ASSEPRO, Brazil) - BSA | The Software Alliance (BSA, USA) - Camara de Industrias de
Costa Rica (CICR, Costa Rica) - Camera & Imaging Products Association (CIPA, Japan) - Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters (CME, Canada) - China Semiconductor Industry Association (CSIA, China) - Colombian Software and
IT Industry Federation (FEDESOFT, Colombia) - Communications and Information Network Association of Japan (CIAJ, Japan) - Communications and Manufacturing Association of India (CMAI, India) - Computer and
Communications Industry Association (CCIA, USA) - Computer Society of Kenya (Kenya) - Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA, USA) - Consumer Electronics Association (CEA, USA) - Costa Rican Chamber of
Information and Communications Technologies (CAMTIC, Costa Rica) - Consumer Electronics Retailers Coalition (CERC, USA) - Consumer Electronics Technology Industry Association (CETIA, USA) - Costa Rican-American
Chamber of Commerce (AmCham Costa Rica, Costa Rica) - DIGITALEUROPE (DIGITALEUROPE, EU) - Egyptian Information Telecom, Electronics and S/W Alliance (Eitesal, Egypt) - Electro-Federation Canada (EFC, Canada) The European Engineering Industries Association (ORGALIME, EU) - European Semiconductor Industry Association (ESIA, EU) - Entertainment Software Association (ESA, USA) - Entertainment Software Association of Canada
(ESAC, Canada) - Federation of Hellenic ICT Enterprises (SEPE, Greece) - The Federation of Korean Information Industries (FKII, Korea) - Guatemalan Software Commission (SOFEX, Guatemala) - Hong Kong Electronic Industries
Association (HKEIA, Hong Kong) - Hong Kong Information Technology Federation (HKITF, Hong Kong) - Ibero American Federation of IT Associations (ALETI, Latin America) - ICT Associations of Jordan (int@j, Jordan) - ICT
Chamber of Commerce - MASIT (MASIT, Macedonia) - IKT-Norge (Norway) - INFOBALT (Lithuania) - Infocomm Technology Association of the Philippines (ITAP, Philippines) - Information & Computer Technologies Industry
Association (APKIT, Russia) - Information Technology Association of Canada (ITAC, Canada) - Information Technology Association of Nigeria (ITAN, Nigeria) - Information Technology Industry Council (ITI, USA) - Intellect (United
Kingdom) - Interactive Games & Entertainment Association (iGEA, Australia and New Zealand) - Interactive Software Federation of Europe (ISFE, EU) - Israel Association of Electronics and Software Industries (IAESI, Israel) - Japan
Business Council in Europe (JBCE, Japan-EU) - Japan Business Machine and Information System Industries Association (JBMIA, Japan) - The Japan Electrical Manufacturers' Association (JEMA, Japan) - Japan Electronics and
Information Technology Industries Association (JEITA, Japan) - Japan Information Technology Services Industry Association (JISA, Japan) - Korea Electronic Association (KEA, Korea) - Korea Semiconductor Industry Association
(KSIA, Korea) - National Association of Manufacturers (NAM, USA) - National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA, USA) - National ICT and Multimedia Association of Malaysia (PIKOM, Malaysia) - National ICT
Confederation of the Philippines (NICP, Philippines) - PRBA-The Rechargeable Battery Association (USA) - Semiconductor and Electronics Industries in the Philippines (SEIPI, Philippines) - Semiconductor Equipment & Materials
International (SEMI, USA) - Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA, USA) - Singapore Semiconductor Industry Association (SSIA, Singapore) - Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA, USA) - Taipei Computer
Association (TCA, Taiwan) - Taiwan Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers' Association (TEEMA, Taiwan) - Taiwan Semiconductor Industry Association (TSIA, Taiwan) - TechAmerica (USA) - Technology CEO Council (TCC, USA) Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA, USA) - Transatlantic Business Council (TBC, USA-EU) - United States Council for International Business (USCIB, USA) - United States Chamber of Commerce (USA) - United States
Information Technology Office (USITO, USA) - Vietnam Electronics Industries Association (VEIA, Vietnam) - World Information Technology and Services Alliance (WITSA, USA) - World Semiconductor Council (WSC)
For more information, contact [email protected]
(仮訳）
世界中の業界団体は、5 月 17 日～18 日にチンタオに集まっているＡＰＥＣの貿易担当大臣
に対して、ＩＴＡ品目を大幅に拡大する関税自由化交渉を再スタートさせるアクティブな
ステップを採るように求める。
この交渉は去年大幅な進展を見せたが、すべての交渉団がＩＴＡ品目の最終リストに合意
できなかった 11 月に中断された。
ＩＴＡはＷＴＯで最も商業的に成功した貿易協定の一つであり、そのＩＴＡの品目拡大は、
協定が成立した 18 年間には想像もつかなかった方法で、イノベーションの促進、生産性の
向上、雇用創造、消費者物価低減、地球上のコミュニティの架け橋となること等に対して
更なる助けになるはずである。
ＩＴＡの地理的拡大と同様に対象製品拡大は、現在ＩＴＡ対象となっていない多くの技術
製品の関税が撤廃れるといった、すぐに実現される現実の利益を生む。
ＡＰＥＣはＩＴＡと関わりが深い。1995 年のシンガポールでのＡＰＥＣ大臣会合は、ＩＴ
Ａの開始支援に重要な役割を演じた。直近では、2013 年 10 月にＡＰＥＣ首脳 21 人が、去
年 12 月上旬のＷＴＯ閣僚会合までにＩＴＡ交渉の終結を求めたりした。
従って、我々は、この交渉に参加しているＡＰＥＣ経済に対し、強いリーダーシップを発
揮し、ＩＴＡ拡大の長期的な利益を享受し、野心的な結果を直ちに達成できるようにセン
シティビティ製品を制限するように求める。
リーダーシップを採ることと拡大交渉の再スタートの決断をすることによって、今月のチ
ンタオでのＡＰＥＣの貿易担当大臣会合は、ＡＰＥＣのＩＴＡとの関わりを再度活性化さ
せる素晴らしい機会となる。我々は、彼らがこの機会を逸することがないように望んでい
る。
貿易を拡大し、成長を誘発し、雇用を増やし、イノベーションを促す、世界の繁栄を促進
させる迅速で野心的な結果を達成するよう、我々は引き続き、我々自身の政府と密に協力
していくことを強く約束する。