TOKYO -- Negotiators will gather in Geneva starting Tuesday to discuss removing import tariffs on 200 or so electronics products under the tutelage of the World Trade Organization, but the prospects of an agreement remain unclear.
     Parties to the Information Technology Agreement hope to double the number of items traded tariff-free, but South Korea, which wants LCD panels to be added to the list, has butted heads with other countries.
     Since coming into force in 1997, the pact, signed by roughly 80 nations and regions, has not been able to expand the list of tariff-free products despite a drastic change in the information technology sector. The treaty is vague about coverage of products that have rapidly spread, including multifunction copiers and LCD monitors, with some countries and regions imposing tariffs and others not.
     Talks to expand the list began in 2012. China initially resisted the move, but agreed to add about 200 items after the Sino-U.S. summit last November.
     But the deal did not cover LCD panels and other items produced in large quantities by South Korea, whose objections ultimately scuttled hopes for a deal in 2014.
     In the latest round, South Korea apparently plans to withdraw demands on LCD panels and other items and instead focus on panel parts a negotiating source said. But China could resist changing the items already agreed on at the bilateral summit.
     Participants had hoped to agree on the new list this summer and move on to discussing specific timetables for tariff removal in the fall. But given that the wishes of South Korea carry significant weight, the "negotiation schedule could be pushed back yet again," according to a source close to the talks.

July 13, 2015
Source: Nikkei