In one of his last official acts as chairman of the US House International Relations Committee, Henry Hyde, one of Taiwan's leading champions in Congress, has urged the administration of US President George W. Bush to begin talks on a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with Taiwan "as soon as possible."
In a letter to US Trade Representative Susan Schwab made public on Wednesday, Hyde said: "Swift movement toward this goal would advance our mutual economic and security interests."
"While it promotes economic growth, an FTA would also bolster Taiwan's democracy and its role as a model for other Asian nations seeking to build democratic institutions and further the rule of law," Hyde wrote.
"In addition, enhanced trade relations would prevent Taiwan from being marginalized by regional FTA's to which it is not a member," he wrote.
Hyde, 83, an Illinois Republican, will retire this year after serving in Congress for 32 years. He has been on the International Relations Committee since 1982, the past five years as chairman. The 109th Congress is scheduled to adjourn this weekend, and, aside from a possible lame-duck session in November, the 110th Congress will convene next January.
The Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in Washington expressed "profound gratitude" to Hyde for sending the letter.
Hyde recalled that he had joined 63 other House members as a co-sponsor of a resolution earlier this year that urged the administration to proceed with FTA negotiations with Taiwan.
That bill, which was introduced in February, was not passed, having been held up in the House Ways and Means Committee.
In his letter, a copy of which was delivered to US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley, Hyde wrote that US interests in Asia "have been well-served by our close partnership with Taiwan."
He noted such "milestones" as the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act and Taiwan's accession to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum and the WTO with US support.
He also ticked off statistics showing Taiwan's important trade relations with the US, and cited comments by Bush last November praising Taiwan's democracy and holding it up as an example for the rest of the Asia region.
"Yet, regrettably, recent regional developments have the potential to undermine this progress, with significant implications for US interests," Hyde wrote.
In this regard, he noted that with the end of the Cold War, Beijing has been able to redeploy its military capabilities away from the northern border toward the east coast across from Taiwan.
This "dramatic increase" in China's armaments directed at Taiwan "pose a clear threat to Taiwan's security," he said.
He also cited China's adoption of the "Anti-Secession" Law last year and moves by China to isolate Taiwan on the international economic scene by excluding Taipei from regional trade agreements.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) halted shipments to a customer this month after its semiconductors were sent to China’s Huawei Technologies Co (華為), potentially breaching US sanctions, a government official said. The US slapped sanctions on Huawei in 2019, and expanded them the following year, over fears its technology could be used for Beijing’s espionage operations. The restrictions prevent TSMC from selling semiconductors to Huawei. However, TSMC discovered on Oct. 11 that chips made for a “specific customer” had ended up with the Chinese company, a Taiwanese official with knowledge of the incident said on the condition of anonymity. TSMC “immediately activated
US SANCTIONS: The Taiwan tech giant has ended all shipments to China-based Sophgo Technologies after one of their chips was discovered in a Huawei phone Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) suspended shipments to China-based chip designer Sophgo Technologies Ltd (算能科技) after a chip it made was found on a Huawei Technologies Co (華為) artificial intelligence (AI) processor, according to two people familiar with the matter. Sophgo had ordered chips from TSMC that matched the one found on Huawei’s Ascend 910B, the people said. Huawei is restricted from buying the technology to protect US national security. Reuters could not determine how the chip ended up on the Huawei product. Sophgo said in a statement on its Web site yesterday that it was in compliance with all laws
TECH TITANS: Nvidia briefly overtook Apple again on Friday after becoming the world’s largest company for a short period in June, as Microsoft fell to third place Nvidia Corp dethroned Apple Inc as the world’s most valuable company on Friday following a record-setting rally in the stock, powered by insatiable demand for its specialized artificial intelligence (AI) chips. Nvidia’s stock market value briefly touched US$3.53 trillion, slightly above Apple’s US$3.52 trillion, London Stock Exchange Group data showed. Nvidia ended the day up 0.8 percent, with a market value of US$3.47 trillion, while Apple’s shares rose 0.4 percent, valuing the iPhone maker at US$3.52 trillion. In June, Nvidia briefly became the world’s most valuable company before it was overtaken by Microsoft Corp and Apple. The tech trio’s market capitalizations have been
Shares of Starlux Airlines Co (星宇航空) surged more than 53 percent on its debut on the Taiwan stock exchange yesterday. Starlux shares closed up 53.75 percent at NT$30.75 from its initial public offering price of NT$20 after retreating in late trading from a 60 percent rise. China Airlines Ltd (CAL, 中華航空) rose 0.90 percent to close at NT$22.35, while EVA Airways Corp (長榮航空) gained 0.40 percent to close at NT$37.70. In Taiwan, a newly listed stock is allowed to go beyond the 10 percent maximum increase or decline in its first five trading sessions. At the listing ceremony, Starlux chairman Chang Kuo-wei (張國煒) said
RSS