Taiwan and the US are today to hold a Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) working meeting, an official familiar with the matter said.
The virtual meeting is the first since the two sides on June 30 resumed the talks that were initiated in 1994 after a four-year hiatus.
The last working meeting before the hiatus was held during the administration of former US president Barack Obama, and the talks were halted during the administration of former US president Donald Trump, reportedly due to Washington’s displeasure with Taiwanese trade restrictions on some US goods, especially agricultural products.
With Taiwan and US relations improving, US President Joe Biden’s administration decided to restore the talks following a request from the US Senate.
Today’s meeting is to center on agriculture, with officials from the Office of Trade Negotiations and the Council of Agriculture to discuss with their US counterparts issues related to exports of Taiwanese fruit and orchids to the US, the official said.
During the June 30 TIFA talks, the two sides agreed to hold working meetings on issues of mutual concern at any appropriate time, to allow for frequent contact.
The next TIFA working meeting is expected to focus on medical equipment, based on an agreement that the document screening procedure should be streamlined by both sides to facilitate imports and exports of such products.
Taiwan has been eager to restart the TIFA talks. President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) has reiterated that she hoped the talks would lead to a bilateral trade agreement.
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