MOEA position paper to promote FTA with the US

The Ministry of Economic Affairs is working on a position paper to solicit support from the US for a free trade agreement (FTA) with Taiwan.

The Bureau of Foreign Trade said the position paper will make the case that the signing of an FTA between Taiwan and the US would be a win-win situation for both sides. Additionally, the US would be able to make inroads into East Asia from Taiwan.

The bureau will sponsor publicity campaigns in US cities this year in the hope that Congress, the media, think tanks and businesses there will understand the benefits of signing a FTA with Taiwan, and that the US will consider a FTA with Taiwan as a priority.

Taiwan has in recent years been promoting the signing of FTAs with its allies, and signed one with Panama last year. It expects to complete others with Nicaragua and Guatemala by August, and FTA consultations with Paraguay, the Dominican Republic and Honduras are also in progress.

The bureau's director-general Huang Chi-peng (黃志鵬) said yesterday that Taiwan is still eyeing the US, New Zealand, Japan and Singapore for FTAs.

Economic Affairs Minister Ho Mei-yueh (何美玥) conveyed Taiwan's wish to sign a FTA with the US during a recent visit, after talks on a trade and investment framework agreement between Taiwan and the US were resumed last year.