Stephen Young, director of the American Institute in Taiwan, said last night that Taiwan-US relations remain vitally important to Washington and that it “fully supports and applauds Taiwan’s efforts to enhance cooperation and lower tension in the cross-strait region.”
“We recognize there are still intellectual property rights concerns. We urge the Legislative Yuan to act quickly to pass important legislation governing Internet Service Provider liability,” Young said at the annual Hsieh Nien Fan hosted by the American Chamber of Commerce in Taipei, while lauding Taiwan’s efforts to go “green.”
On the issue of US beef, he said the US was encouraged by “positive signs” on beef market access and hoped that Taiwanese consumers would be able to purchase US beef early this year.
President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) told the audience that the framework of a trade pact with Beijing would possibly be discussed in the third cross-strait negotiations.
He said that the proposed trade pact with Beijing would benefit Taiwan’s economy without belittling the country’s sovereignty.
Signing an economic cooperation framework agreement with Beijing is aimed at preventing the marginalization of Taiwan during this time of regional economic integration and to bolster the nation’s internationalization, Ma said.
Adding that the chamber’s annual white papers, released each May, had in past years urged the government to normalize trade relations with Beijing, Ma said: “We listened and we listened carefully.”
Ma said even after a pact was signed, Taiwan would not lift bans on certain agricultural products and Chinese workers.
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