Minister of Foreign Affairs Timothy Yang (楊進添) said yesterday that Taiwan and the US were discussing the possibility of including Taiwan in a US visa waiver program, but he gave no specific timetable.
Yang made the remarks after attending the international seminar “Taipei-Washington-Beijing Relations under the Ma and Obama Administrations,” which was held in Taipei by the Foundation on Asia-Pacific Peace Studies and the Pacific Forum of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a US think tank.
“Both Taiwan and the US understand the importance of the visa waiver program, which is already under discussion by the two sides. However, I cannot give you a certain timetable,” Yang said.
PHOTO: CHANG CHIA-MING, TAIPEI TIMES
Earlier at the forum, Yang said there were five facets of the new face of US-Taiwan relations.
They include working on the inclusion of Taiwan in the US visa waiver program, enhancement of bilateral security cooperation, economic ties and investment ties, and US support for Taiwan’s meaningful participation in the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and International Civil Aviation Organization, Yang said.
It would be of mutual benefit to both Taipei and Washington to expand cooperation on issues of export control and weapons proliferation because the two sides have worked effectively together on the implementation of the container security initiative.
This entails a system of checking for illegal goods in shipping containers that leave Kaohsiung Port, he said.
At the forum, new American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Director William Stanton complimented Taiwan’s progress in recent years and said with the Taiwan Relations Act as the basis of Taiwan-US relations, the US would remain a “dependable” friend and not waver from its commitment to Taiwan’s security, assuaging doubts of Washington’s intention to sell arms to Taiwan.
He said that because talks on US beef imports were coming to the final stage, Trade and Investment Framework Agreement talks could be held before the end of the year.
The US government and the US business community in Taiwan, he said, welcome improved cross-strait ties, which has increased Taiwan’s appeal to foreign investors.
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