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No trade deal with the US any time soon, ministry says

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed yesterday that the US government would not sign a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with Taiwan in the near future, saying this was due in part to a full administrative agenda.

"It is normal for negotiations on major bilateral issues to occasionally experience delays. But there is no reason, provided we are clear on what our goal is, for us to give up just because we are encountering some difficulties," ministry spokesperson Michel Lu (呂慶龍) said yesterday.

Lu said the ministry had learned that the main reason behind the US' decision to delay the free trade talks was due to a full administrative agenda.

"But even so, there is no need for pessimism at this point. We'll continue our endeavors," Lu said.

Local media reported yesterday that the US would not hold FTA talks with Taiwan in the near future. The reports quoted Assistant US Trade Representative for China Affairs Timothy Stratford as saying that the US business community was not actively pushing the government to discuss a free trade pact with Taiwan. They also said that the US government did not have the manpower to deal with the issue at the moment.

Lu said yesterday that there was no point in the public feeling discouraged by Stratford's remarks, especially since a number of US politicians had backed a US-Taiwan free trade agreement.

Taiwan has made great efforts to hold FTA talks with the US, its informal ally and arms supplier, for the past five decades.
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