President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday told a visiting senior US official that given the uncertainty around US ratification of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), she hopes that the US will pursue bilateral investment and free-trade agreements with Taiwan.
It was the first time that Tsai has expressed her views on the prospects of the TPP since US president-elect Donald Trump’s pledge to withdraw the US from the trade deal on his first day in office.
Tsai made the comments during a meeting with Matthew J. Matthews, US ambassador to APEC and deputy assistant secretary for Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands.
Photo: CNA
Tsai said that as a member of the international community, Taiwan is willing and able to make meaningful contributions to various international organizations.
She also expressed gratitude to the US government for its consistent support of Taiwan’s efforts to expand its space in the international area.
In the economic and trade arena, Tsai said that Taiwan would continue to hold multilateral and bilateral trade talks with its important trade partners and should not be excluded from free-trade agreements in the Asia-Pacific region or from cross-regional economic integration.
Although the prospects for the TPP are unclear, it is Taipei’s responsibility to be prepared to negotiate the terms of any trade deals in the future, she said.
The president also promised to continue with economic reforms, as well as revisions of laws and regulations.
She said she hoped that the US would understand Taiwan’s resolve to press for multilateral and bilateral free-trade agreements and participate in regional economic integration.
Turning to the APEC summit in Lima last month, Tsai expressed gratitude to Matthews and US President Barack Obama’s team for supporting and cooperating closely with Taiwan on APEC-related matters, including arranging a meeting between her APEC envoy, People First Party Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜), and US Secretary of State John Kerry at the summit.
“I firmly believe that the close cooperative relationship between Taipei and Washington is conducive to deepening our bilateral friendship,” Tsai said.
Following the meeting with Kerry, the pair issued a joint statement announcing plans to set up an “APEC women and the economy sub-fund.”
“This plan not only is the result of US-Taiwan cooperation based on a high level of mutual trust, but is also vital in promoting women’s economic empowerment worldwide. As a part of the international community, Taiwan hopes that, through this kind of scheme and participation, female workers could provide a large amount of momentum for national economic development,” Tsai said.
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