A Taiwanese delegation will leave for Panama over the weekend for the third round of talks on a free-trade agreement, an official from the economics ministry said yesterday.
The 16-member delegation is scheduled to leave today, the official said. Vice economics minister Steve Chen (
Discussions on the signing of a free-trade pact were set between March 17 and March 21 with the two sides trying to finalize the lists of products they had proposed for zero tariff preferential status, the official said.
"To my knowledge, Panama has requested Taiwan to cut import tariffs to zero on some sensitive agricultural products," he said.
Panama's deputy minister for international trade Meliton Arrocha is to lead his side at the talks.
Panama is the only country in talks with Taiwan for a bilateral free-trade pact.
The two sides held the first and second rounds of talks in October of last year and January of last year respectively, hoping an accord could be signed by the end of this year.
The official said both sides would also work together trying to narrow the trade imbalance which is now in favor of Taiwan.
Last year, Taiwan sold more than US$120 million worth of goods to Panama and bought some US$4.8 million in products from the country.
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