More than 50 members of the World Trade Organisation have concluded the biggest tariff-reduction deal in almost two decades, eliminating restrictions on the $1.3tn trade of 201 IT products.

世界贸易组织(WTO)的50余个成员国达成近20年来规模最大的关税减让协议，取消了对201项IT产品1.3万亿美元贸易的限制。

Yesterday’s expansion of the 1996 Information Technology Agreement will increase global gross domestic product by $190bn a year, according to IT experts, as the costs are cut in trading goods from GPS devices and video game consoles to next-generation semiconductors.

据IT专家称，昨日对1996年签署的《信息技术协定》(ITA)的扩大，将令全球国内生产总值(GDP)每年增加1900亿美元，从全球定位系统(GPS)设备和视频游戏机，到下一代半导体，多种产品的贸易成本将降低。

Trade ministers said it would also help reinvigorate the WTO, which is deeply divided over its failure to break the years-long deadlock in negotiations over the 2001 Doha Development Agenda.

贸易部长们表示，这还将有助于重振WTO，该组织因未能打破围绕2001年多哈发展议程(Doha Development Agenda)的持续多年的谈判僵局而产生严重分歧。

Many developed nations at the WTO’s biennial conference in Nairobi this week have called for the DDA to be shelved or augmented to include new issues. Most developing nations want to retain the framework in a bid to secure more concessions from advanced economies, especially on agricultural subsidies.

在本周WTO在内罗毕召开的双年会上，很多发达国家呼吁搁置多哈发展议程或者扩大该议程以纳入新的议题。多数发展中国家希望保留这一框架，以争取从发达经济体获得更多让步，特别是在农产品补贴方面。

Barriers will be eliminated in three stages under the expanded ITA. 65 per cent of the new tariff lines representing 88 per cent of imports will be cut immediately on implementation of the deal in July 2016.

根据扩大后的ITA协议，关税壁垒将分3个阶段取消。在2016年7月该协议生效时，65%的新关税细目（代表88%的进口）将立即取消。

Three years later, additional cuts will mean 89 per cent of tariff lines representing 95 per cent of imports will have been cut. The remaining tariffs will be eliminated by January 2024.

3年后，更多的减税意味着89%的税收细目（代表95%的进口）将取消。其余关税将在2024年1月之前取消。

Roberto Azevêdo, director-general of the WTO, defended the staggered implementation of the deal, despite the fast pace of change in the IT industry. “The staging was part of the deal from the beginning,” he said.

尽管IT行业变革迅速，但ITA协议却要分阶段落实，世贸组织总干事罗伯特阿泽维多(Roberto Azevêdo)对此做出辩护称：“从一开始，分阶段实施就是该协议的一部分。”

“In every single agreement you have to have flexibility enshrined in it or it’s very difficult to strike a compromise.”

“每一项协议都必须纳入灵活性，否则就很难达成妥协。”

Agreement on the 201 products to be included was reached in July, but the conclusion was delayed after China declined to submit its timeframe for phasing out selected products’ tariffs.

今年7月，各国就纳入201项产品达成协议，但由于中国拒绝递交分阶段取消特定产品关税的时间表，协议的达成被推迟。

Beijing finally submitted its list yesterday afternoon.

中国在昨日下午终于递交了清单。

Although some important classes of products are not included, among them LED displays and lithium ion batteries, experts hailed the deal as a big breakthrough for multilateral trade negotiations.

尽管一些重要产品类别没有纳入（包括LED显示屏和锂电池），但专家们仍称赞该协议是多边贸易谈判的一项重大突破。