A leading US congressman is introducing new legislation on Capitol Hill proposing a free-trade agreement [FTA] with Taiwan.
In a dramatic presentation to congressional staff on Wednesday, Democratic Representative Robert Andrews declared that he wanted to go further and would push US President Barack Obama to recognize Taiwan as a “free and independent sovereign state.”
While other Taiwan watchers at the briefing said they doubted the new legislation would be enacted soon, they agreed it would increase Taiwan’s profile in Washington and could strengthen its hand in the negotiations with China on signing an economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA).
At the same briefing — organized by the Formosan Association for Public Affairs — Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, a Republican, said an ECFA was set to be signed “despite concerns about ever-growing Chinese economic influence on the island.”
“Like the Trojan horse that allowed the Greek invaders to penetrate the inner walls of Troy, the ECFA may prove to be a gift horse that the people of Taiwan would rather not look in the mouth. [An] ECFA may prove to be a political tool that masquerades as a trade instrument to achieve China’s ultimate goal of absorbing Taiwan,” she said.
It was one of the rare occasions in Congress that representatives from both sides of the aisle seemed to agree.
“When the People’s Republic of China [PRC] rattles its saber against Taiwan, it is not simply testing Taiwan. It is testing the United States of America, testing whether we truly adhere to the values that we profess. Do we mean what we say — do we practice what we preach? That is what is being tested,” Andrews said.
He said that for both economic and strategic reasons, the time had come for an FTA between the US and Taiwan and that in the coming weeks, he would introduce a resolution in Congress calling on the White House to “actively pursue” such an agreement.
Andrews said that the two economies were complimentary and there would be “true mutual benefit,” adding that “the strategic advantage is even more self-evident. An FTA will be affirmation that the United States regards the people of Taiwan as a free, sovereign and independent people.”
“You don’t make free-trade agreements with someone else’s state or territory. You make free-trade agreements with sovereign people, and I think that is a hugely important symbol,” Andrews said.
He said an ECFA now being negotiated between Taiwan and China was “more of a cage than a framework.”
Taiwan, he said, was negotiating from a position of disadvantage.
“Any duly elected government has the autonomy to negotiate as it sees fit for its people,” Andrews said. “That presupposes negotiation that is free of coercion and is conducted in a truly bilateral and equivalent context, and that is most assuredly not the case. Because of the absence of United States support for Taiwan, the PRC is reading the situation as an indication to engage in a more coercive discussion with Taiwan. Active pursuit of a free-trade agreement between the United States and Taiwan would set a better context for whatever negotiations proceed between Taiwan and the PRC.”
Andrews said that what he was advocating was “a provocative position.”
“Our policy should move in a bolder and more truthful direction, acknowledging Taiwan as sovereign and independent. I know that’s provocative. It’s meant to be,” Andrews said.
He said that while he hoped China would evolve into a peaceful trading partner and be a true asset to the world economy, it would be a “dramatic mistake” to assume this would happen.
He said the best way to prepare for future Chinese growth was “not to compromise or cower in matters of principle.”
“We should provoke a non-violent discussion now, rather than wait for the day when the PRC has grown more strong and powerful and perhaps irreversibly bellicose in its relationship with the United States. The great moments of our history have been the ones where we have acted out of principle even when it’s risky or inconvenient. I think this is one of those moments,” Andrews said.
Asked about the credibility of his proposed legislation at a time when both the Obama administration and the Democratic-controlled Congress are opposed to FTAs, Andrews said it was both “practical and credible.”
Representative Scott Garrett, a Republican, supported Andrews and said the US should do everything possible “to support and bolster” Taiwan.
Garrett said that while most countries were now too frightened of China’s reaction to sign FTAs with Taiwan, many would likely follow suit if the US led the way.
He said that this in turn would give Taiwan more confidence in its direct negotiations with China.
The likelihood of the FTA legislation actually passing, Garrett said, was “only as real as the willingness of this Congress to stand up and do what is right.”
Ros-Lehtinen said that while US trade interests in Asia were stagnating, “the Chinese dragon is extending its claws even further into the Pacific.”
She said a US-Taiwan FTA would boost US exports to Taiwan and expand the US market share in Asia and strengthen bilateral ties.
“It is time for the Obama administration to move forward in pursuing an FTA with our good friend, our democratic ally, our stalwart pal Taiwan. Let’s do it and let’s do it now,” Ros-Lehtinen said.
Also See: ECFA predicted to have limited impact this year
Also See: EDITORIAL : The reason for the ECFA rush
Also See: ECFA could cause power shift: Tsai
A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck off Yilan at 11:05pm yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The epicenter was located at sea, about 32.3km east of Yilan County Hall, at a depth of 72.8km, CWA data showed There were no immediate reports of damage. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Yilan County area on Taiwan’s seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. It measured 4 in other parts of eastern, northern and central Taiwan as well as Tainan, and 3 in Kaohsiung and Pingtung County, and 2 in Lienchiang and Penghu counties and 1
FOREIGN INTERFERENCE: Beijing would likely intensify public opinion warfare in next year’s local elections to prevent Lai from getting re-elected, the ‘Yomiuri Shimbun’ said Internal documents from a Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) company indicated that China has been using the technology to intervene in foreign elections, including propaganda targeting Taiwan’s local elections next year and presidential elections in 2028, a Japanese newspaper reported yesterday. The Institute of National Security of Vanderbilt University obtained nearly 400 pages of documents from GoLaxy, a company with ties to the Chinese government, and found evidence that it had apparently deployed sophisticated, AI-driven propaganda campaigns in Hong Kong and Taiwan to shape public opinion, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported. GoLaxy provides insights, situation analysis and public opinion-shaping technology by conducting network surveillance
‘POLITICAL GAME’: DPP lawmakers said the motion would not meet the legislative threshold needed, and accused the KMT and the TPP of trivializing the Constitution The Legislative Yuan yesterday approved a motion to initiate impeachment proceedings against President William Lai (賴清德), saying he had undermined Taiwan’s constitutional order and democracy. The motion was approved 61-50 by lawmakers from the main opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the smaller Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), who together hold a legislative majority. Under the motion, a roll call vote for impeachment would be held on May 19 next year, after various hearings are held and Lai is given the chance to defend himself. The move came after Lai on Monday last week did not promulgate an amendment passed by the legislature that
AFTERMATH: The Taipei City Government said it received 39 minor incident reports including gas leaks, water leaks and outages, and a damaged traffic signal A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck off Taiwan’s northeastern coast late on Saturday, producing only two major aftershocks as of yesterday noon, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The limited aftershocks contrast with last year’s major earthquake in Hualien County, as Saturday’s earthquake occurred at a greater depth in a subduction zone. Saturday’s earthquake struck at 11:05pm, with its hypocenter about 32.3km east of Yilan County Hall, at a depth of 72.8km. Shaking was felt in 17 administrative regions north of Tainan and in eastern Taiwan, reaching intensity level 4 on Taiwan’s seven-tier seismic scale, the CWA said. In Hualien, the
RSS