The US Congress is expected to consider a new proposal for a free-trade agreement (FTA) with Taiwan this year, a US-based organization has said.
While it remains unlikely that a bill will pass this year, the tactic is to create enough momentum to give it a fighting chance next year.
News of the proposed bill surfaced following US President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address on Tuesday, during which he called on Congress to pass an FTA with South Korea “as soon as possible.”
Republicans, who now control the House of Representatives, also want to consider FTAs with Panama and Colombia before June.
With those agreements out of the way and Connecticut independent Senator Joseph Lieberman now pushing for a vote on a congressional resolution urging quick approval of all three trade pacts, the proposed Taiwan FTA would move up the line.
Coen Blaauw, executive director of the Formosan Association for Public Affairs (FAPA), told the Taipei Times his organization would seek to introduce a Taiwan Free Trade bill in the next few months.
They hope to attract a coalition of sponsors from the Taiwan Caucus and the Ways and Means Committee, which would be called upon to consider the bill.
“We need to kickstart the Free Trade Agreement for Taiwan and give it some momentum,” Blaauw said. “It’s an idea whose time has come. We are encouraged by President Obama’s support of the [South] Korean FTA. And after that, it will be Taiwan’s turn.”
Blaauw, who has already sounded out Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill about the proposed bill, said that it was important not only to boost trade but also “for Taiwan’s survival as a country.”
He said there were fears that China might eventually use the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) to “blackmail” Taiwan and that an FTA with the US would provide Taipei with “freedom” to deal with such a move.
A study published by the Peterson Institute for International Economics on a Taiwan FTA found that Taiwan “has a special status for the US as both a leading high-technology economic partner and a place of political and security concern.”
The study looked at both the economic benefits and at the potential impact that an FTA would have on “securing a prosperous and secure future for Taiwan.”
A final analysis indicated that the direct economic benefits would be “modest” and that an FTA would be most valuable to the US if it “leads Taiwan toward greater regional integration.”
Yangmingshan National Park authorities yesterday urged visitors to respect public spaces and obey the law after a couple was caught on a camera livestream having sex at the park’s Qingtiangang (擎天崗) earlier in the day. The Shilin Police Precinct in Taipei said it has identified a suspect and his vehicle registration number, and would summon him for questioning. The case would be handled in accordance with public indecency charges, it added. The couple entered the park at about 11pm on Thursday and began fooling around by 1am yesterday, the police said, adding that the two were unaware of the park’s all-day live
Fast food chain McDonald's is to raise prices by up to NT$5 on some products at its restaurants across Taiwan, starting on Wednesday next week, the company announced today. The prices of all extra value meals and sharing boxes are to increase by NT$5, while breakfast combos and creamy corn soup would go up by NT$3, the company said in a statement. The price of the main items of those meals, if ordered individually, would remain the same. Meanwhile, the price of a medium-sized lemon iced tea and hot cappuccino would rise by NT$3, extra dipping sauces for chicken nuggets would go up
Yangmingshan National Park’s Qingtiangang (擎天崗) nature area has gone viral after a park livestream camera observed a couple in the throes of intimate congress, which was broadcast live on YouTube, drawing large late-night crowds and sparking a backlash over noise, bright lights and disruption to wildlife habitat. The area’s livestream footage appeared to show a couple engaging in sexual activity on a picnic table in the park on Friday last week, with the uncensored footage streamed publicly online. The footage quickly spread across social media, prompting a tide of visitors to travel to the site to “check in” and recreate the
Minister of Digital Affairs Lin Yi-ching (林宜敬) yesterday cited regulatory issues and national security concerns as an expert said that Taiwan is among the few Asian regions without Starlink. Lin made the remarks on Facebook after funP Innovation Group chief executive officer Nathan Chiu (邱繼弘) on Friday said Taiwan and four other countries in Asia — China, North Korea, Afghanistan and Syria — have no access to Starlink. Starlink has become available in 166 countries worldwide, including Ukraine, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam, in the six years since it became commercial, he said. While China and North Korea block Starlink, Syria is not
RSS