Taiwan's government said Sunday it would stop boycotting the appointment of a Chinese judge to the World Trade Organisation's top court if its fears of possible bias by the Asian giant were addressed. "As long as our concerns are clarified, we could cease the boycott," Phoebe Yeh, Taiwan's foreign ministry spokeswoman, told AFP.
Taiwan last week objected to the proposed appointment of Chinese lawyer Zhang Yeujiao to the WTO's seven-member Appellate Body, which issues rulings in key trade disputes, citing the possibility of bias.
"Previous practices showed that Beijing had used every opportunity to block Taiwan on matters regarding sovereignty. We've felt uncomfortable about this," Yeh said.
Taiwan and the Chinese mainland have governed themselves separately since their split in 1949 at the end of a civil war, but Beijing says the island is part of China awaiting to be reunified by force if necessary. Appellate Body members have four-year terms. The panel was set up by the Dispute Settlement Body (DSB).
Speaking after an informal meeting of the DSB on Friday, chairman Bruce Gosper said he was concerned that if Taiwan continued to block the appointment, the organisation could face a crisis.
The selection of appellate members was "important, but we cannot allow a situation where the system is not able to operate in a manner that was intended," he added. Zhang is the first Chinese candidate for a post on the appellate bench since the Asian giant joined the organisation in 2001 - one day before Taiwan.
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