Taiwan and the US have launched their second round of negotiations under a bilateral trade initiative, holding days of in-person talks in Washington on issues related to agriculture, labor and the environment.
The two sides “exchanged views on proposed texts covering agriculture, labor and the environment” during their talks under the US-Taiwan Initiative on 21st-Century Trade from Monday to Friday, the Office of the US Trade Representative said in a news release on Friday.
The release did not provide further details, saying only that discussions were “productive” and both sides had agreed to continue their talks “in the months ahead in order to reach consensus.”
Photo: Tyrone Siu, Reuters
In a separate news release, the Office of Trade Negotiations said the two sides discussed ways to promote bilateral trade in agriculture and food security through transparent regulations.
Both sides also exchanged ideas on how to ensure labor rights are in step with international standards, as well as how to promote green enterprises, decarbonize the economy and step up conservation efforts, the office said.
The talks, held in person in Washington, were headed by Office of Trade Negotiations Deputy Trade Representative Yang Jen-ni (楊珍妮) and Assistant US Trade Representative Terry McCartin.
They came two months after Taipei and Washington signed an initial agreement under the initiative, covering issues such as customs and border procedures, regulatory practices and small and medium-sized businesses, in a bid to boost bilateral trade and investment.
Launched in June last year, the initiative also includes other mandates, including digital trade, state-owned enterprises, and non-market policies and practices.
It was created against the backdrop of Taiwan’s exclusion from the US-led Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity, with Washington and Taipei saying they hoped to achieve “a trade agreement with high-standard commitments and economically meaningful outcomes.”
STILL COMMITTED: The US opposes any forced change to the ‘status quo’ in the Strait, but also does not seek conflict, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said US President Donald Trump’s administration released US$5.3 billion in previously frozen foreign aid, including US$870 million in security exemptions for programs in Taiwan, a list of exemptions reviewed by Reuters showed. Trump ordered a 90-day pause on foreign aid shortly after taking office on Jan. 20, halting funding for everything from programs that fight starvation and deadly diseases to providing shelters for millions of displaced people across the globe. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who has said that all foreign assistance must align with Trump’s “America First” priorities, issued waivers late last month on military aid to Israel and Egypt, the
‘UNITED FRONT’ FRONTS: Barring contact with Huaqiao and Jinan universities is needed to stop China targeting Taiwanese students, the education minister said Taiwan has blacklisted two Chinese universities from conducting academic exchange programs in the nation after reports that the institutes are arms of Beijing’s United Front Work Department, Minister of Education Cheng Ying-yao (鄭英耀) said in an exclusive interview with the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister paper) published yesterday. China’s Huaqiao University in Xiamen and Quanzhou, as well as Jinan University in Guangzhou, which have 600 and 1,500 Taiwanese on their rolls respectively, are under direct control of the Chinese government’s political warfare branch, Cheng said, citing reports by national security officials. A comprehensive ban on Taiwanese institutions collaborating or
France’s nuclear-powered aircraft carrier and accompanying warships were in the Philippines yesterday after holding combat drills with Philippine forces in the disputed South China Sea in a show of firepower that would likely antagonize China. The Charles de Gaulle on Friday docked at Subic Bay, a former US naval base northwest of Manila, for a break after more than two months of deployment in the Indo-Pacific region. The French carrier engaged with security allies for contingency readiness and to promote regional security, including with Philippine forces, navy ships and fighter jets. They held anti-submarine warfare drills and aerial combat training on Friday in
COMBAT READINESS: The military is reviewing weaponry, personnel resources, and mobilization and recovery forces to adjust defense strategies, the defense minister said The military has released a photograph of Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) appearing to sit beside a US general during the annual Han Kuang military exercises on Friday last week in a historic first. In the photo, Koo, who was presiding over the drills with high-level officers, appears to be sitting next to US Marine Corps Major General Jay Bargeron, the director of strategic planning and policy of the US Indo-Pacific Command, although only Bargeron’s name tag is visible in the seat as “J5 Maj General.” It is the first time the military has released a photo of an active
RSS