Hearing on Issues to be Addressed at the Hong Kong Ministerial Conference of the Doha Round of the World Trade Organization’s Trade Expansion Negotiations

Opening Statement of June Teufel Dreyer

Commissioner and Hearing Cochair

December 8, 2005

Washington, DC

I am pleased to welcome you to our hearing examining the Doha Agenda and China’s role in the upcoming Hong Kong Ministerial. Ambassador Portman, analysts, and the press have all noted the importance of agricultural negotiations to the success of the Ministerial and the Doha Round in general. In general terms, the nature of the agricultural proposals pits developing nations against developed ones. This does not have to be the case and the U.S. government has taken extensive strides to propose its own agricultural subsidy cuts.

China has the ability to be a critical participant in such negotiations. Ambassador Portman, last month, called on Chinese officials to play an active role in the Doha Round. Portman noted that there were “very few areas” of disagreement between China and the U.S. in the Doha Round. This provides a great opportunity for cooperation on common goals and the ability to build a better relationship with which to work with each other on areas of disagreement, such as intellectual property theft.

I look forward to a broad discussion of this topic. Particularly, what we can expect U.S. negotiators to achieve should there be movement in the Hong Kong Ministerial on industrial tariff and IPR.

Our first panelist today is Myron Brilliant, Vice President, East Asia, for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, where he is responsible for developing, promoting, and executing U.S. Chamber programs and policy relating to U.S. trade and investment in the Asia trade arena. In 2001, Mr. Brilliant formed the U.S. Chamber’s China WTO Implementation Working Group to follow China’s efforts to open its market to foreign goods and services. In addition to his role at the U.S. Chamber, he is President of the U.S.-Korea Business Council and Executive Vice President of the Hong Kong –U.S. Business Council. I thank you for taking the time to join us today and I look forward to your testimony.

Our second panel will examine the trade law concerns at hand in the Hong Kong Ministerial talks. Mr. Terence Stewart is the Managing Partner of Stewart and Stewart. Mr. Stewart has previously served as Chair of the U.S. Court of International Trade Advisory Committee on Rules, and President of the Customs and International Trade Bar Association. In the second panel, we will also hear from Robert Lighthizer is a partner in the Washington, DC office of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meager and Flom, LLP, where he focuses on international trade law. Mr. Lighthizer has also served as Deputy United States Trade Representative with the rank of Ambassador during the Reagan Administration. I look forward to their comments today.

Let’s begin with Mr. Brilliant.