President Ma Ying-jeou signed an instrument of accession to the World Trade Organization's Government Procurement Agreement (GPA) Monday, completing the procedure to make Taiwan the 41st signatory to the multilateral accord. This means that the Taiwan's government procurement market will be open to other GPA members, and vice versa, based on the principles of reciprocity and national parity. Noting that the government procurement market in the other GPA signatory countries totals US$960 billion per year, Ma said his administration will spare no effort to assist Taiwanese companies to explore markets around the world that will now be open to them. Taiwan's public sector markets will also be open to the other GPA signatory countries. 'The multi-billion dollar 'i-Taiwan 12 Development Projects' that the administration has been pushing since early this year are good sources of government procurement for foreign bidders,' he added. Ma said joining the GPA was one of the most important commitments that Taiwan made after it was admitted to the World Trade Organization in 2002. The consultations for GPA accession were completed that same year, but Taiwan could not enter into the accord until this year because of differences across the Taiwan Strait. Ma said that since he took office in May 2008, he has been striving to employ a 'modus vivendi' or pragmatic diplomatic strategy in relations with China and other countries in the world. After strenuous efforts by Taiwan to communicate with the WTO, the WTO Committee on Government Procurement formally approved Taiwan's application to enter the GPA on Dec. 9, 2008 and the Legislative Yuan endorsed the decision May 15, Ma added. The GPA was adopted by the WTO in 1981 with the purpose of opening up as much government procurement as possible to international competition. It was designed to make laws, regulations, procedures and practices regarding government procurement more transparent and to ensure they do not protect domestic products or suppliers, or discriminate against foreign products or suppliers. Noting that Taiwan hopes to play a more active and responsible role in the international community, Ma said the country will continue to study international covenants to facilitate its efforts to integrate into the world. He added that because Taiwan is not a member of the United Nations, his administration will pull out all the stops, including ratifying international covenants as domestic laws, to achieve international participation. 