Taiwan and the US are to hold talks on “strategic economic cooperation” in Washington on Friday next week, the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced in separate statements yesterday.
US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs David Stilwell on Aug. 31 announced the establishment of the Taiwan-US Economic and Commercial Dialogue — which has since been renamed the Taiwan-US Economic Prosperity Partnership Dialogue — after President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Aug. 28 promised to ease restrictions on imports of US cattle more than 30 months old and US pork containing ractopamine.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced the date of the talks at a news briefing in Washington on Tuesday, saying: “The dialogue signifies that our economic relationship with Taiwan, a vibrant democracy and reliable partner, is strong and growing.”
Photo: Lee Ya-wen, Taipei Times
The first dialogue would be “online/offline,” with Deputy Minister of Economic Affairs Chen Chern-chyi (陳正祺) leading a small delegation to the US, while Minister of Economic Affairs Wang Mei-hua (王美花), Minister without Portfolio John Deng (鄧振中) and Minister of Science and Technology Wu Tsung-tsong (吳政忠) would join the talks from Taipei via video conference.
The US delegation would be headed by US Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy and the Environment Keith Krach, who visited Taipei in September.
US-Taiwan relations are “going in a very good direction” and the MOEA is working to “expedite progress,” Wang said.
Photo: Lee Hsin-fang, Taipei Times
“We will be talking about economic cooperation in the fields of medicine, technology, supply chains and energy,” she said.
“We can see by the breadth of the topics that just like US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said, the Taiwan-US relationship is strong and growing,” Wang said. “We are happy to be able to seize the moment and push ahead with talks.”
As the talks would be held within the purview of the US Department of State, specific trade issues, such as a bilateral trade agreement, would not be addressed, she said.
Asked by reporters whether the issue of US pork imports would be revisited, Wang said that it was important to “follow through on President Tsai Ing-wen’s commitment to lift the ban.”
“The ban on pork containing ractopamine was a long-term problem we finally addressed. Now that the president made a promise [to ease the ban], we must carry it through,” Wang said.
During a meeting with industrial representatives in Taipei yesterday, Tsai said that the dialogue demonstrates the progress in Taiwan-US relations and heralds an opportunity for local industries.
With closer partnerships, Taiwanese companies would surely become more competitive on the global stage, she said.
American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Director Brent Christensen would also join the dialogue from Taipei via video conference, the AIT said in a news release, adding that Chen would be joined in Washington by Representative to the US Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴).
Cooperation related to 5G security, semiconductors, infrastructure development, investment project reviews and women’s economic empowerment, as well as scientific and technological projects would be discussed, the statement said.
In other developments, Wang told reporters that “economic bubbles” for business travelers to Taiwan are “necessary for the Taiwanese economy.”
“Face-to-face communication is still irreplaceable for serious investments and purchasing decisions,” Wang said. “We are pleased the first case went through — there are more in the pipeline.”
The MOEA on Tuesday announced that the Central Epidemic Command Center had approved a request for several representatives of a US electronics company to visit Taiwan for three days under economic bubble rules that exempt them from quarantine procedures.
ANTI-SHIP CONFIGURATION: The Tuo Chiang-class vessels are to be built for NT$9.7 billion by Lung Teh, a shipyard that previously built four similar corvettes for the navy The Ministry of National Defense on Wednesday awarded Lung Teh Shipbuilding (龍德造船) a NT$9.7 billion Co (US$317.57 million) contract to build five Tuo Chiang-class corvettes with anti-ship capabilities, a defense official familiar with the matter said yesterday. The corvettes would carry vertical launchers for four Hsiung Feng II (HF-2) missiles, as well as eight Hsiung Feng III (HF-3) anti-ship missiles, in contrast to ships configured for anti-air warfare, which carry eight HF-2 and four HF-3 missiles, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. The anti-ship corvettes would be armed for improved standoff range against surface combatants and carry the latest
PARTIAL SUPPORT: Morris Chang said he agrees with the US’ goal to slow advances of China’s chip sector, but US policies that might boost chip prices perplex him Washington’s efforts to on-shore semiconductor production might lead to surges in chip prices and supply bottlenecks, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) founder Morris Chang (張忠謀) said yesterday. The 91-year-old industry veteran said he supports parts of Washington’s effort to slow China’s progress on advanced chip manufacturing. China is still six years behind Taiwan in making advanced chips, despite years-long efforts to catch up, Chang told a Commonwealth Magazine forum that he coheadlined with Tufts University assistant professor Chris Miller, an expert on the US-China rivalry’s effects on chip manufacturing. However, Chang said that other parts of the effort, particularly Washington’s on-shoring
‘COINCIDENCE’: The former president should keep in mind local and global response to his actions and abide by the law to safeguard national interests, the MAC said The Presidential Office yesterday confirmed that it has received an application from former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) to visit China next week and would be discussing his security detail. “As the travel restrictions on former president Ma have expired, we respect his plan to pay respect to his ancestors in China,” Presidential Office spokeswoman Lin Yu-chan (林聿禪) said. “We will review his travel plan and consult concerned agencies to assist him in arranging his security detail.” “We also hope that Ma, as a former commander in chief of Taiwan, acts in a manner that aligns with national interests and does not hurt
‘WRONG DECISION’: Honduras should carefully consider the situation, and not fall into China’s trap and jeopardize the bilateral friendship, the foreign ministry said The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday said that it had expressed “grave concern” to the government of Honduras after Honduran President Xiomara Castro on Tuesday wrote on Twitter that it would pursue official diplomatic relations with China. In addition to issuing a statement, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Alexander Yui (俞大㵢) summoned Honduran Ambassador to Taiwan Harold Burgos to the ministry in Taipei early yesterday to voice the government’s concerns. The meeting lasted about 20 minutes and Burgos did not make any public comments upon arriving at the ministry. Burgos said shortly after noon that he had not yet heard from his country’s
RSS