Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade Grant Aldonas will visit later this week to meet with officials and discuss Taiwan's compliance with WTO commitments and other bilateral trade issues.
Aldonas, who will be the highest ranking Bush Administration official to visit Taiwan, will meet with President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and Vice Premier Lin Hsin-yi (林信義) as well as other key Taiwan ministers including Minister for Economic Affairs Lin Yi-fu (林義夫) and Mainland Affairs Council Chairman Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文).
"This is my first trip to Taiwan, and I am eager to experience first-hand how a strong civil society can go hand in hand with economic development and entrepreneurial success," Aldonas said. "I'm here to ensure that this new chapter in our commercial relationship opens on a favorable note."
Aldonas' will discuss the importance of maintaining open markets and encouraging compliance with WTO trade laws.
The visit comes a week after the US criticized Taiwan's IPR protection record in its annual review of trading partners and only weeks before it is set to announce whether Taiwan will retain its place on the US "special 301" list of the world's worst IPR violators.
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