The Dominican Republic and Taiwan will resume negotiations on a free-trade agreement (FTA) to strengthen trade and investment relations between the two countries, Presidential Office Spokesman Wang Yu-chi (王郁琦) said yesterday.
Following the conclusion of the first round of FTA talks in October 2006, the two countries were unable to hold the second series of talks scheduled for April last year.
In a meeting with Dominican Republic President Leonel Fernandez, who was sworn in for a third term on Saturday, President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) proposed to continue with the negotiations on the foundations set during the first round, which was welcomed by Fernandez, Wang said.
PHOTO: CNA
Fernandez said his country wished to enhance economic and investment relations with Taiwan and learn more about how its science parks came about, Wang said.
Ma told Fernandez the two parties would benefit from an FTA framework as it would allow Taiwan to use the Dominican Republic as a launching pad into the American market and encourage more Taiwanese businesses to invest in the Dominican Republic.
The Central America-Dominican Republic-US Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR), signed in August 2004, eliminates tariffs and trade barriers among the members.
Taiwanese businesses with investment in the countries can enter the US market and obtain the preferential tariffs enjoyed by member countries.
So far, Taiwan has signed FTAs with five Central American countries — Panama, Guatemala, Nicaragua, El Salvador and Honduras.
All are diplomatic allies of Taiwan.
Ma left the Dominican Republic yesterday morning, wrapping up his eight-day state visit to Latin America and the Caribbean.
During his stay in the Dominican Republic, Ma also held meetings with Haitian President Rene Preval and Salvadoran President Elias Antonio Saca.
Ma also held meetings with Panamanian President Martin Torrijos, Paraguayan President Fernando Lugo and Honduran President Manuel Zelaya.
In total, Ma held meetings with six heads of state in Latin American and the Caribbean, where 12 of the country’s 23 allies are located.
“In the six days I spent in the region, I met six presidents and had deep and far-reaching exchanges with them,” Ma said.
Ma said he had prepared the topics of discussion ahead of the meetings, which included his strategy behind the “diplomatic truce” with China and its impact on Taiwan’s allies.
“They all agreed with the idea, because it is pragmatic and would not hurt their interests,” Ma said.
“We are not opposed to their plans to develop economic and trade relationships and cultural exchanges with China, as they do not represent unofficial activities,” he said.
Ma said aid projects to the countries would remain unchanged and that Taipei intended to increase its aid budget, as Taiwan spends less than 0.14 percent of its national income on aid, which fails to meet the target of 0.7 percent set by the UN.
Taipei would also develop a mechanism to ensure that the budget earmarked for foreign aid is used strictly for that purpose and spent in a transparent way, he said.
Ma is scheduled to return to Taipei early Thursday morning after a refueling stop in Austin, Texas, and a brief stopover in San Francisco.
Taipei and New Taipei City government officials are aiming to have the first phase of the Wanhua-Jungho-Shulin Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) line completed and opened by 2027, following the arrival of the first train set yesterday. The 22km-long Light Green Line would connect four densely populated districts in Taipei and New Taipei City: Wanhua (萬華), Jhonghe (中和), Tucheng (土城) and Shulin (樹林). The first phase of the project would connect Wanhua and Jhonghe districts, with Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall and Chukuang (莒光) being the terminal stations. The two municipalities jointly hosted a ceremony for the first train to be used
MILITARY AID: Taiwan has received a first batch of US long-range tactical missiles ahead of schedule, with a second shipment expected to be delivered by 2026 The US’ early delivery of long-range tactical ballistic missiles to Taiwan last month carries political and strategic significance, a military source said yesterday. According to the Ministry of National Defense’s budget report, the batch of military hardware from the US, including 11 sets of M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) and 64 MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile Systems, had been scheduled to be delivered to Taiwan between the end of this year and the beginning of next year. However, the first batch arrived last month, earlier than scheduled, with the second batch —18 sets of HIMARS, 20 MGM-140 missiles and 864 M30
Representative to the US Alexander Yui delivered a letter from the government to US president-elect Donald Trump during a meeting with a former Trump administration official, CNN reported yesterday. Yui on Thursday met with former US national security adviser Robert O’Brien over a private lunch in Salt Lake City, Utah, with US Representative Chris Stewart, the Web site of the US cable news channel reported, citing three sources familiar with the matter. “During that lunch the letter was passed along, and then shared with Trump, two of the sources said,” CNN said. O’Brien declined to comment on the lunch, as did the Taipei
A woman who allegedly attacked a high-school student with a utility knife, injuring his face, on a Taipei metro train late on Friday has been transferred to prosecutors, police said yesterday. The incident occurred near MRT Xinpu Station at about 10:17pm on a Bannan Line train headed toward Dingpu, New Taipei City police said. Before police arrived at the station to arrest the suspect, a woman surnamed Wang (王) who is in her early 40s, she had already been subdued by four male passengers, one of whom was an off-duty Taipei police officer, police said. The student, 17, who sustained a cut about
RSS