Press Releases
Visit of State Minister for Foreign Affairs FUJII Hisayuki to Switzerland
(Attendance at the Informal WTO Ministerial Gathering hosted by Switzerland) (Results)
From January 23 to 24, State Minister for Foreign Affairs FUJII Hisayuki visited Swiss Confederation. In Davos, he attended the Informal WTO Ministerial Gathering and held talks with ministers of participating countries, and in Zurich he exchanged views with representatives of Japanese companies. The overview of the visit is as follows.
1. Attendance at the Informal WTO Ministerial Gathering hosted by Switzerland
On January 24, State Minister Fujii attended the Informal WTO Ministerial Gathering hosted by Switzerland. This is an informal ministerial meeting on the WTO which is usually held in Davos by the Government of Switzerland on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting. This year, 23 countries and organizations participated in the meeting, and held candid discussions on the role that the WTO should play on the 30th anniversary of its establishment and on priorities towards the 14th WTO Ministerial Conference to be held in March next year, among others.
State Minister Fujii stressed the need to strengthen the WTO system, as an essential infrastructure for the global economy, while emphasizing the importance of dispute settlement reform, the early entry into force of the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies, and the incorporation of the Agreement on Electronic Commerce and the Investment Facilitation for Development Agreement into the WTO agreement, among others.
2. Hosting the Co-Convenors’ Meeting on WTO Electronic Commerce Negotiations
On January 23, State Minister Fujii hosted a meeting with H.E. Mr. Gan Kim Yong, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade and Industry of the Republic of Singapore, and H.E. Mr. James Baxter, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Commonwealth of Australia to the WTO to exchange views on the way forward for the WTO Electronic Commerce Negotiations, which they are co-chairing.
At the meeting, they confirmed to maintain close cooperation among the Co-Convenors to achieve the early incorporation into the WTO legal framework of the Agreement on Electronic Commerce, the text of which was published last July as a result of the negotiations.
3. Talks with ministers
State Minister Fujii held talks with the following ministers who attended the Informal WTO Ministerial Gathering hosted by Switzerland and exchanged views on future collaboration with each country and organization.
- H.E. Mr. Kerrie Symmonds, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of Barbados
- H.E. Mr. Fanga Mathieu Guibolo, Minister for Trade and Industry of Chad
- H.E. Mr. Albert Leo Van Klaveren Stork, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Chile
- H.E. Mr. Cheong Inkyo, Minister for Trade of the Republic of Korea
- H.E. Mrs. Jumoke Oduwole, Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment of the Federal Republic of Nigeria
- H.E. Mr. Espen Barth Eide, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Norway
- H.E. Mr. Parks Tau, Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition of the Republic of South Africa
- H.E. Mr. Guy Parmelin, Vice-President of the Federal Council, Head of the Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research of the Swiss Confederation
- H.E. Mr. Pichai Naripthaphan, Minister of Commerce of the Kingdom of Thailand
- H.E. Dr. Ngozi OKONJO-IWEALA, Director-General of the World Trade Organization
4. Meeting with representatives of the Japanese companies
On January 23, State Minister Fujii held a meeting with representatives of Japanese companies operating in Switzerland, and exchanged views on the business landscape in Switzerland and challenges they face.