MUTUALLY BENEFICIAL: Taiwan may get indirect tariff-free access to the US market with the deal, while Guatemala will get an expanded market for its coffee and sugar
BY CHIU YU-TZU
Taiwan signed a free-trade agreement (FTA) with Guatemala Thursday in a bid to strengthen bilateral relations with the Central American country and expand the global market for Taiwanese products.

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NO CLEAR MOTIVATION: The US defense secretary's new top aide, Eric Edelman, said it was `hard to see' why Beijing was bulking up its military forces so rapidly
The pace and scope of China's military buildup raise questions about the government's intentions toward its neighbors, says Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld's new top policy adviser.

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Minister of National Defense Lee Jye (李傑) said yesterday that Taiwan should take heed of a US Pentagon official's stern criticism of the limited growth in the nation's national defense budget.

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AFP, Beijing

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Hurricane Rita roared toward the Texas and Louisiana coasts early yesterday, a major Category 4 storm that spurred a traffic-snarled exodus toward higher ground and fears it could cripple the heart of the nation's petrochemical industry.

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