Tonga is scheduled to become a member of the World Trade Organisation in early 2005, Moana Taukolo of the Tonga Ministry of Labour and Commerce, told a three-day National Seminar on WTO issues in Nuku'alofa early this month.

In a presentation on Tonga's accession to WTO, Moana explained that since the Tonga Government decided in May 1995 to seek accession to WTO, trade negotiations had been carried out with various trading partners and with WTO officials in Geneva, and Tonga was now in the final stage of the WTO accession process.

She said that to date Tonga had concluded Bilateral Trade Agreements with six countries, Australia, Japan, Canada, the European Community, New Zealand and Panama.

Bilateral Trade negotiation is currently in progress between Tonga, the USA and China. Moana said that the trade negotiation with the USA was hard but very important and once that is finalised then a package would be submitted to the General Council in Geneva.

When Tonga accepts the conditions for membership in the WTO, then it becomes a member.

The three-day National Seminar on WTO issues was jointly hosted by the Agency for International Trade Information and Co-operation and the Tonga Chamber of Commerce and Industry Inc., and it was well attended by local business people and the public.

See also: Tonga trade disadvantage under WTO, warns Crown Prince [2]