The US is looking to expand cooperation with Taiwan in the field of agriculture, among other areas, the aim of which is to improve food security and sustainability, a summary of the ongoing US-Taiwan 21st Century Trade Initiative released on Friday showed.
During the talks, the US made a slew of proposals for bilateral cooperation in fields such as fair trade, labor, environmental protection and agriculture, the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) said in press release.
The US “proposed a broad set of provisions designed to open or expand opportunities for American agricultural producers to access the Taiwan market, to advance food security, and to promote sustainable agricultural production,” the USTR said.
Photo: Tyrone Siu, Reuters
The proposed provisions are aimed at increasing transparency and regulatory certainty for agricultural exporters and importers, as well as at encouraging collaboration and innovation in areas such as sustainability and food security, it added.
The proposal also includes “cooperative efforts to promote innovation, fair trade and individualized approaches to advance environmental goals,” the USTR said.
On the environmental front, the US put forth provisions which aim to meaningfully contribute to environmental protection and respond to common sustainability challenges, including climate change, it said.
Taiwan and the US are committed to continuing their efforts to improve environmental protection and effectively enforce their respective environmental laws, the press release added.
The two sides also pledged not to weaken or reduce the protections already afforded in their domestic environmental laws in an effort to attract trade or investment, the USTR said.
Meanwhile, the proposals on labor include provisions and initiatives that would benefit workers and ensure free and fair trade, thus contributing to the promotion of sustainable and inclusive growth for the US and Taiwan, the press release said.
The summary on the ongoing talks was released in accordance with the commitment of US President Joe Biden’s administration to transparency in trade agreement negotiations, the USTR said.
The US-Taiwan 21st Century Trade Initiative was launched in 2022, under the auspices of the American Institute in Taiwan and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the US.
In June last year, the two sides signed the first pact under the initiative, agreeing to customs administration and trade facilitation, good regulatory practices, domestic regulation of services, anti-corruption and matters relating to small and medium-sized enterprises.
After the in-person negotiations in August last year, both sides are currently working towards a second agreement, which they hope would cover other areas of economic importance.
A new round of in-person talks is expected to be held in Taipei, but the exact date has not yet been confirmed, a Taiwanese official familiar with the matter said.
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