Early next month, an official from the US Department of Commerce is scheduled to visit Taiwan, the highest-profile visit by a US commerce official in a decade, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) said in a press statement yesterday.
US Department of Commerce Undersecretary of Commerce for International Trade Francisco Sanchez is scheduled to visit Taipei from March 4 to March 6, the AIT said. Sanchez will be the highest-ranking official from the department to visit Taipei since then-undersecretary of commerce for international trade Grant Aldonas visited Taiwan in 2002, AIT spokesperson Christopher Kavanagh said.
During his stay in Taiwan, Sanchez will meet with President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and other officials, as well as business leaders, the AIT said.
Sanchez will deliver a speech titled “Opening New Doors of Opportunity: The Future of the US–Taiwan Commercial Relationship” at an event organized by the American Chamber of Commerce in Taipei.
In his speech, Sanchez is expected to highlight US President Barack Obama’s National Export Initiative and the Select-USA program — both designed to strengthen economic ties with global partners — as well as outline steps to expand opportunities and advance prosperity in both countries, the chamber of commerce said on its Web site.
The AIT said Sanchez would also make a speech at the ongoing My Dream Vacation USA — Great Outdoors event, co-hosted by the commercial section of the AIT and the Taiwan Visit USA Committee, which promotes tourism to the US and features a different theme each quarter throughout the year.
Sanchez heads the department’s International Trade Administration, whose mission it is to promote fair trade in the global economy; create jobs and economic growth by promoting US companies and products; strengthen US competitiveness across all industries; address market access and compliance issues; administer US trade laws; and undertake a range of trade promotion and trade advocacy efforts, the AIT said.
Obama’s National Export Initiative aims to double US exports by the end of 2014.
In a speech to the local business community in Taipei in September last year, US Assistant Secretary of Commerce Suresh Kumar said that the US wants to see Taiwan play a leading role in its efforts to increase US exports as the Obama administration seeks to fulfill its commitment of opening more markets.
When asked if the US beef issue would be a main topic of discussion during Sanchez’s visit, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the commerce department generally deals with export expansion and tourism, while the US beef issue is being handled by the Office of the US Trade Representative.
Japan has deployed long-range missiles in a southwestern region near China, the Japanese defense minister said yesterday, at a time when ties with Beijing are at their lowest in recent years. The missiles were installed in Kumamoto in the southern region of Kyushu, as Japan is attempting to shore up its military capacity as China steps up naval activity in the East China Sea. “Standoff defense capabilities enable us to counter the threat of enemy forces attempting to invade our country ... while ensuring the safety of our personnel,” Japanese Minister of Defense Shinjiro Koizumi said. “This is an extremely important initiative for
MORE POPULAR: Taiwan Pass sales increased by 59 percent during the first quarter compared with the same period last year, the Tourism Administration said The Tourism Administration yesterday said that it has streamlined the Taiwan Pass, with two versions available for purchase beginning today. The tourism agency has made the pass available to international tourists since 2024, allowing them to access the high-speed rail, Taiwan Railway Corp services, four MRT systems and four Taiwan Tourist Shuttles. Previously, five types of Taiwan Pass were available, but some tourists have said that the offerings were too complicated. The agency said only two types of Taiwan Pass would be available, starting from a three-day pass with the high-speed rail and a three-day pass with Taiwan Railway Corp. The former costs NT$2,800
NEW LOW: The council in 2024 based predictions on a pessimistic estimate for the nation’s total fertility rate of 0.84, but last year that rate was 0.69, 17 percent lower An expected National Development Council (NDC) report expects the nation’s population to drop below 12 million by 2065, with the old-age dependency ratio to top 100 percent sooner than 2070, sources said yesterday. The council is slated to release its latest population projections in August, using an ultra-low fertility model, the sources said. The previous report projected that Taiwan’s population would fall to 14.37 million by 2070, but based on a new estimate of the total fertility rate (TFR) — the average number of children born to a woman over her lifetime — the population is expected to reach 12 million by
COUNTERING HOSTILITY: The draft bill would require the US to increase diplomatic pressure on China and would impose sanctions on those who sabotage undersea cable networks US lawmakers on Thursday introduced a bipartisan bill to bolster the resilience of Taiwan’s submarine cables to counter China’s hostile activities. The proposal, titled the critical undersea infrastructure resilience initiative act, was cosponsored by Republican representatives Mike Lawler and Greg Stanton, and Democratic Representative Dave Min. US Senators John Curtis and Jacky Rosen also introduced a companion bill in the US Senate, which has passed markup at the chamber’s Committee on Foreign Relations. The House’s version of the bill would prioritize the deployment of sensors to detect disruptions or potential sabotage in real-time and enhance early warning capabilities through global intelligence sharing frameworks,
RSS