Premier Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) yesterday said the government would not sign any agreements with the US under the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) platform that are unfavorable for the country.
Following a three-year hiatus over a US beef import dispute, Taiwan and the US have announced that they are set to resume bilateral talks on economic issues under the TIFA.
Wu told the legislature that the US had expressed its intention to resume TIFA talks after Taiwan signed the Economic Cooperative Framework Agreement (ECFA) with China in June.
“There are lots of factors to be considered in TIFA talks. [Any deal] should complement Taiwan and not have too many negatives,” Wu said.
In its talks with the US, the administration would not compromise on the principle that characterized negotiations with China on the ECFA — that is, of “putting Taiwan first and for the benefit of its people,” Wu said.
If that principle is not upheld, the government would rather TIFA talks concluded without any agreement, Wu said.
“The Taiwan-US TIFA talks involve not only the beef issue, but also [US intentions] to further open Taiwan’s market to its pork products and other agricultural products, which overlap with locally grown products,” Wu said.
One point of contention that could arise during negotiations is whether US pork contains the veterinary drug ractopamine, a substance that has been banned in Taiwan since 2006.
In 2007, two US shipments of pork were found to contain the banned substance and was rejected by health authorities. After the government indicated the ban could be lifted, large protests by swine farmers were held in Taipei, forcing the government to confirm that the ban would remain in place.
A US delegation led by US Assistant Trade Representative for China Affairs Claire Reade visited Taiwan on Sept. 28 and Sept. 29.
Additional reporting by Staff Writer
A preclearance service to facilitate entry for people traveling to select airports in Japan would be available from Thursday next week to Feb. 25 at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Taoyuan International Airport Corp (TIAC) said on Tuesday. The service was first made available to Taiwanese travelers throughout the winter vacation of 2024 and during the Lunar New Year holiday. In addition to flights to the Japanese cities of Hakodate, Asahikawa, Akita, Sendai, Niigata, Okayama, Takamatsu, Kumamoto and Kagoshima, the service would be available to travelers to Kobe and Oita. The service can be accessed by passengers of 15 flight routes operated by
Alain Robert, known as the "French Spider-Man," praised Alex Honnold as exceptionally well-prepared after the US climber completed a free solo ascent of Taipei 101 yesterday. Robert said Honnold's ascent of the 508m-tall skyscraper in just more than one-and-a-half hours without using safety ropes or equipment was a remarkable achievement. "This is my life," he said in an interview conducted in French, adding that he liked the feeling of being "on the edge of danger." The 63-year-old Frenchman climbed Taipei 101 using ropes in December 2004, taking about four hours to reach the top. On a one-to-10 scale of difficulty, Robert said Taipei 101
Taiwanese and US defense groups are collaborating to introduce deployable, semi-autonomous manufacturing systems for drones and components in a boost to the nation’s supply chain resilience. Taiwan’s G-Tech Optroelectronics Corp subsidiary GTOC and the US’ Aerkomm Inc on Friday announced an agreement with fellow US-based Firestorm Lab to adopt the latter’s xCell, a technology featuring 3D printers fitted in 6.1m container units. The systems enable aerial platforms and parts to be produced in high volumes from dispersed nodes capable of rapid redeployment, to minimize the risk of enemy strikes and to meet field requirements, they said. Firestorm chief technology officer Ian Muceus said
MORE FALL: An investigation into one of Xi’s key cronies, part of a broader ‘anti-corruption’ drive, indicates that he might have a deep distrust in the military, an expert said China’s latest military purge underscores systemic risks in its shift from collective leadership to sole rule under Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), and could disrupt its chain of command and military capabilities, a national security official said yesterday. If decisionmaking within the Chinese Communist Party has become “irrational” under one-man rule, the Taiwan Strait and the regional situation must be approached with extreme caution, given unforeseen risks, they added. The anonymous official made the remarks as China’s Central Military Commission Vice Chairman Zhang Youxia (張又俠) and Joint Staff Department Chief of Staff Liu Zhenli (劉振立) were reportedly being investigated for suspected “serious
RSS