Taiwan’s chief trade negotiator, Minister Without Portfolio Jenni Yang (楊珍妮), on Thursday said that the nation would continue advancing a trade deal with the US under the incoming administration of US president-elect Donald Trump.
Taiwan remains optimistic about furthering the US-Taiwan Initiative on 21st-Century Trade, despite a pause in negotiations due to the transition to the new administration, Yang told reporters at the APEC summit in Lima.
Taiwan is preparing to review regulations before entering a new round of negotiations, which would cover issues including agriculture, labor and the environment, she said.
Photo: CNA
“These issues are inherently difficult to negotiate,” she said, adding that hopefully Trump’s administration would continue discussions on the second phase of talks following the signing of the first agreement by both sides in June last year.
The initial agreement, expected to take effect by the end of this year, includes customs administration and trade facilitation, good regulatory practices, policies to combat corruption, and promotion of small and medium-sized enterprises.
However, concerns have arisen regarding Taiwan’s trade relationship with the US after Trump, whose rhetoric suggests opposition to global trade, won the US presidential election on Nov. 5.
Yang, who is part of Taiwan’s APEC delegation, met with US Trade Representative Katherine Tai (戴琪) on the sidelines of the APEC Ministerial Meeting on Wednesday.
A statement issued by Tai’s office said that both sides highlighted the importance of economic and trade ties during the meeting.
Yang and Tai also discussed progress made through the US-Taiwan Initiative on 21st-Century Trade, as well as their work together at the APEC forum and other multilateral organizations, including the WTO, the statement said.
Meanwhile, Taiwan’s envoy to APEC, Lin Hsin-i (林信義), and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken held talks in Lima on Thursday ahead of the bloc’s Economic Leaders’ Meeting.
Lin arrived in the Peruvian capital on Wednesday with the Taiwanese delegation, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
The two discussed ways to continue improving the bilateral partnership, and ensuring regional peace and stability, while exchanging views on issues such as promoting the development of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies in the region, the ministry said.
Blinken posted a photograph of the two shaking hands on social media and wrote that their talks touched upon “our growing economic relationship and our enduring shared commitment to foster an open, dynamic and peaceful Indo-Pacific.”
Lin — chairman of Taiwania Capital Management Corp (台杉投資管理), a government-funded venture capital firm, and a senior adviser to President William Lai (賴清德) — was to take part in the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting yesterday and today as Taiwan’s envoy, a role he has had before.
The meeting was expected to be attended by US President Joe Biden, Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, among other heads of government.
APEC is one of the few inter-governmental pacts in which Taiwan has full membership, but it still sends special envoys in place of its president to the annual event due to pressure from China.
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