Source: Republic of China Taiwan
MOFA condemns Cameroon for error-riddled visa documents compelling Taiwan’s absence from WTO MC14 and thanks allies and like-minded partners for support
Date：2026-03-26
Data Source：Department of International Cooperation and Economic Affairs
March 26, 2026
No. 115
The 14th Ministerial Conference (MC14) of the World Trade Organization (WTO) is scheduled to take place on March 26 in the Republic of Cameroon. As the host country, Cameroon applied a disparaging nationality designation to visas for the Taiwan delegation that wrongly implied Taiwan’s subordination to another WTO member. This constituted a blatant violation of relevant WTO regulations and a departure from the long-standing practice of previous host countries. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) on March 20 lodged a formal protest and expressed to Cameroon and the WTO Secretariat its strong condemnation regarding this unacceptable political manipulation.
Only after Taiwan had lodged a formal protest did Cameroon begin to address Taiwan’s inherent right to participate under its proper designation and with full dignity. Cameroon proposed a visa exemption arrangement for the Taiwan delegation as a remedial measure, highlighting the reasonable and justified nature of Taiwan’s position.
However, the visa exemption documents issued by Cameroon were riddled with errors. Not only were the names of delegation members misspelled, but the members were also almost entirely misidentified as female. These inaccuracies underscore Cameroon’s gross administrative negligence and lack of good faith. And because Cameroon provided the documents in an untimely manner, the Taiwan delegation was unable to seek remediation. Further, such flawed documents could expose members of the Taiwan delegation to obstruction or undignified treatment upon arrival in Cameroon. Therefore, following a comprehensive assessment, Taiwan has made the difficult decision to withdraw from MC14.
MOFA reiterates that Taiwan acceded to the WTO pursuant to Article XII of the Marrakesh Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization as a separate customs territory possessing full autonomy and not subordinate to any other member. Since Taiwan’s first attendance at the WTO Ministerial Conference in 2001, all previous host countries have facilitated Taiwan’s participation in accordance with WTO regulations and established practices. This has included using the designation TAIWAN or TWN in the fields for nationality and place of birth and issuing invitation letters to enable visa-free entry for delegations from Taiwan.
MOFA expresses its sincere appreciation to the United States, Japan, other like-minded partners, and Taiwan’s diplomatic allies for their concern regarding this matter and for their mediation and coordination efforts.
MOFA solemnly states that Taiwan will call on future hosts of WTO Ministerial Conferences to provide formal assurances that similar incidents undermining the equal rights of members will not recur. Taiwan also urges WTO members to jointly uphold the inviolable right to equality. As a steadfast supporter of multilateralism, Taiwan will continue to work with other WTO members to safeguard the WTO-centered rules-based international economic and trade order. (E)