WASHINGTON, Dec 8 (Reuters) - The United States on Friday hailed fellow World Trade Organization members for supporting a strong set of principles to govern trade over the Internet.
"The WTO has taken a positive step forward in the promotion of e-commerce," U.S. Trade Representative Charlene Barshefsky said in a statement.
Actions taken by the WTO General Council in Geneva this week build on a 1998 pledge by members to keep transmissions over the Internet free from tariffs, she said.
At the meeting, General Council Chairman Kare Bryn said a majority of WTO members agreed that electronic commerce falls within the scope of existing WTO agreements.
"Application of the liberal multilateral trading system's rules and principles to this sector, and the avoidance of unnecessary restrictive measures, can only help to promote the growth of e-commerce," Bryn said.
WTO members also recognize the tremendous potential of the e-commerce and the Internet to contribute to infrastructure capacity building and market access could be a great importance to developing countries, the chairman said.
The WTO will continue work on e-commerce issues, such as the classification of certain digital products, next year.:
