Taiwan has joined more than 50 members of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in signing a statement supporting Ukraine’s access to trade and warning of the ongoing impact on global food security of Russian military blockades.

The countries issued the declaration on the opening day of a June 12-15 WTO ministerial meeting in Geneva, at which Taiwan was represented by top trade negotiator John Deng (???).

In the statement, the nations said that the destruction of Ukraine’s infrastructure was substantially impeding the country’s ability to produce, export, and import key commodities, with potentially global consequences.

“We are also deeply concerned by numerous reports of grains being plundered from Ukraine,” the statement said.

It also warned that the situation could have “dramatic” implications for food security, given that Ukraine is a top exporter of products like wheat, maize, barley, and sunflower oil, as well as a major supplier to the United Nations World Food Program.

“The impact of the war, including the blockage of Ukraine’s access to the Black Sea, is seriously jeopardizing food supply in some of the most vulnerable parts of the world [and] risks pushing millions of people into food insecurity,” the statement said.

In this context, the nations said they would “seek to support Ukraine and facilitate its exports,” such as by “facilitating the use of infrastructure or facilitating and simplifying customs procedures.”

A total of 56 nations signed the statement, including the United States, most European countries, Japan, Korea, and Australia, accounting for just over one-third of the WTO’s 164 members.

In an interview with the BBC last week, WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala warned that wheat and fertilizer shortages caused by the conflict could trigger a food crisis, particularly in African countries.

Ukraine accounts for around 9 percent of global wheat exports, as well as 42 percent of the world’s sunflower oil and 16 percent of the world’s maize.

Compared to last year, prices of those three commodities have jumped by 59 percent, 30 percent, and 23 percent, respectively, Okonjo-Iweala said.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel