SMU Associate Professor of Law Henry Gao said that it being the first global trade agreement sealed by the World Trade Organisation (WTO) since its founding 19 years ago, the conclusion of the Bali Package earlier this month did not come easy. There were two reasons behind the successful meeting in Bali: the central theme of the meeting (i.e. trade facilitation) was relatively simple, and there was general consensus among the participants to ensure the success of the meeting and to uphold the image and status of WTO. Associate Prof Gao felt that sealing the Bali Package was just the beginning, following which the WTO is faced with two key challenges. The near-term challenge is the implementation of the Bali Package, especially the trade facilitation agreement; while the long-term challenge would be to tackle the other difficult topics in the Doha Round of talks and the emergence of new issues.