The US is to “engage virtually every country” in the region in creating the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF), US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday, as he dismissed concerns that Washington had shut the door on Taiwan.
At a hearing of the US House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs, US Representative Ann Wagner asked Blinken whether Taiwan was being excluded from joining the IPEF, an initiative proposed by US President Joe Biden last year with the aim of enhancing its economic engagement in the Indo-Pacific region.
“I am particularly concerned that Taiwan is being shut out of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework, even though the administration may try to kind of hide this by never formally closing the doors, so to speak, to participation; Taiwan’s offer to become a full member is not being accepted,” Wagner said.
Photo: AFP
Wagner said the policy to deny Taiwan’s participation in the IPEF is “self-defeating and dangerous” given that it was the US’ eighth-largest trading partner last year and one of its largest trading partners in Asia.
Blinken said “there is no such policy” to exclude Taiwan.
“There is nothing that is closing the door on anyone, including Taiwan,” he added.
The US has just started the process of launching the IPEF, including beginning conversations with a number of countries as potential partners, Blinken said.
“It’s going to be open, it’s going to be inclusive and I imagine we’re going to be engaging virtually every country in the region,” he added.
Wagner said that Taiwan had made it clear to the US in recent bilateral talks that becoming a full member of the IPEF is its “No. 1 and top request,” and Taipei has changed national laws in anticipation of starting free-trade negotiations.
She urged Blinken to send more reaffirming messages to Taiwan.
“As a rule of law, democracy and a top global trading partner, Taiwan should certainly be a top priority for the framework,” Wagner said. “But instead, this administration is marginalizing Taiwan and showing the Chinese Communist Party that the United States is deterred from working with a critical partner.”
Similar concerns have been raised by other US lawmakers.
A bipartisan group of 200 US representatives on March 30 published a letter addressed to US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo and US Trade Representative Katherine Tai (戴琪) to petition for Taiwan’s inclusion in the IPEF.
Reuters cited unnamed sources in a March 31 story as saying that Raimondo told a closed-door meeting of the US Senate Finance Committee the week before that the administration was not considering Taiwan’s inclusion at this time.
TRAGEDY STRIKES TAIPEI: The suspect died after falling off a building after he threw smoke grenades into Taipei Main Station and went on a killing spree in Zhongshan A 27-year-old suspect allegedly threw smoke grenades in Taipei Main Station and then proceeded to Zhongshan MRT Station in a random killing spree that resulted in the death of the suspect and two other civilians, and seven injured, including one in critical condition, as of press time last night. The suspect, identified as a man surnamed Chang Wen (張文), allegedly began the attack at Taipei Main Station, the Taipei Fire Department said, adding that it received a report at 5:24pm that smoke grenades had been thrown in the station. One man in his 50s was rushed to hospital after a cardiac arrest
SAFETY FIRST: Double the number of police were deployed at the Taipei Marathon, while other cities released plans to bolster public event safety Authorities across Taiwan have stepped up security measures ahead of Christmas and New Year events, following a knife and smoke bomb attack in Taipei on Friday that left four people dead and 11 injured. In a bid to prevent potential copycat incidents, police deployments have been expanded for large gatherings, transport hubs, and other crowded public spaces, according to official statements from police and city authorities. Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said the city has “comprehensively raised security readiness” in crowded areas, increased police deployments with armed officers, and intensified patrols during weekends and nighttime hours. For large-scale events, security checkpoints and explosives
A car bomb killed a senior Russian general in southern Moscow yesterday morning, the latest high-profile army figure to be blown up in a blast that came just hours after Russian and Ukrainian delegates held separate talks in Miami on a plan to end the war. Kyiv has not commented on the incident, but Russian investigators said they were probing whether the blast was “linked” to “Ukrainian special forces.” The attack was similar to other assassinations of generals and pro-war figures that have either been claimed, or are widely believed to have been orchestrated, by Ukraine. Russian Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov, 56, head
PUBLIC SAFETY: The premier said that security would be tightened in transport hubs, while President Lai commended the public for their bravery The government is to deploy more police, including rapid response units, in crowded public areas to ensure a swift response to any threats, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday after a knife attack killed three people and injured 11 in Taipei the previous day. Lai made the remarks following a briefing by the National Police Agency on the progress of the investigation, saying that the attack underscored the importance of cooperation in public security between the central and local governments. The attack unfolded in the early evening on Friday around Taipei Main Station’s M7 exit and later near the Taipei MRT’s Zhongshan
RSS