Taipei and Washington have found several areas of consensus during the second Taiwan-US Digital Economy Forum, including support of policies that promote innovation and growth in the digital economy and inclusive and open Internet governance.
At the forum on Thursday in Washington, both sides affirmed support for policies and regulatory environments that promote innovation, trade, investment and growth in the digital economy.
They also backed the normalization of private sector consultations as policies and regulations are being formed and implemented, according to a joint statement issued after the meeting was concluded.
Other areas of agreement included backing for an inclusive, open and transparent system of Internet governance and support for policies that facilitate the free flow of information across borders, the statement said.
The two sides also agreed on the need to enhance privacy protections and enable cross-border data flow by implementing and promoting frameworks for privacy and data protection, through means such as the APEC Cross Border Privacy Rules system.
They also advocated policies aimed at preventing unnecessary forced technology transfers and encouraging adoption and deployment of the best available technologies, the statement said.
Taiwan and the US underscored the importance of making it easier for start-ups to develop and of promoting more cooperation between Taiwanese and US venture capital firms, start-up clusters and innovators, the statement said.
“Both sides also affirmed the importance of intellectual property rights and licensing to expand two-way technology trade and investment between the two economies,” the statement said.
In addition, the two sides shared information on the status of “smart city” projects and explored cooperation to expand Internet connectivity through the US Department of State’s Global Connect initiative, which aims to connect an additional 1.5 billion people to the Internet by 2020, it said.
The statement added that both sides are committed to carrying out a joint program aimed at expanding Internet connectivity and bridging the digital divide through the Taiwan-US Global Cooperation and Training Framework.
The Taiwanese delegation to the meeting was led by National Development Council Deputy Director Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫) and included officials from the council, the Executive Yuan’s Office of Science and Technology, the ministries of economic affairs and justice, the Financial Supervisory Commission and others.
The US delegation was led by US Coordinator for International Communications and Information Policy Daniel Sepulveda and included officials with the Office of the US Trade Representative, the departments of state and commerce, the Federal Communications Commission and other agencies, the statement said.
Taiwanese and US industry representatives also participated in the forum.
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