US President Joe Biden is expected to unveil a list of nations today who would be joining a long anticipated Indo-Pacific region trade pact, but Taiwan will not be among them.
US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said that Taiwan is not among the governments included in the launch of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework, a trade pact that is meant to allow the US to work more closely with key Asian economies on issues including supply chains, digital trade, clean energy and anticorruption efforts.
The US president is scheduled to highlight the launch of the framework as he meets with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida today.
Photo: AFP
“We are looking to deepen our economic partnership with Taiwan, including on high technology issues, including on semiconductor supply, but we’re pursuing that in the first instance on a bilateral basis,” Sullivan said.
The framework is meant to establish Biden’s economic strategy for the region.
Matthew Goodman, senior vice president for economics at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, said that some Pacific signatories are likely to be disappointed, as the pact is not expected to include provisions for greater access to the US market.
“I think a lot of partners are going to look at that list and say: ‘That’s a good list of issues. I’m happy to be involved, but, you know, are we going to get any tangible benefits out of participating in this framework?’” said Goodman, a former director for international economics on the US National Security Council during former US president Barack Obama’s administration.
Beijing has criticized the US effort to form the trade pact.
“We hope they will build an open and inclusive circle of friends in Asia-Pacific, rather than an exclusive clique, and do more for peace and development rather than creating turmoil and chaos in the region,” Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Wang Wenbin (汪文斌) said.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday expressed regret over Taiwan’s exclusion from the first round of IPEF members.
As an important economy, Taiwan plays a crucial role in the global supply chain and definitely qualifies for IPEF membership, it said, adding that the government would continue to seek new opportunities to join the pact.
Additional reporting by staff writer
The National Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology yesterday showcased its locally developed variants of the Vision 60 robotic patrol dog, which it plans to deploy on the nation’s outlying territories in the South China Sea. The variants were produced under the Joint Lab project — created by the institute and domestic companies — and assembled with domestically produced motors, lenses and artificial intelligence (AI) systems alongside licensed tech from the US, Missile and Rocket Systems Research Division deputy director Jen Kuo-kang (任國光) told the media event at a military base in Taipei’s Dazhi (大直) area. Taiwan has built up its strengths
RIGHT DIRECTION: Taiwan’s efforts to prevent forced labor include a proposal to ‘fully prohibit’ employers from withholding workers’ documents, an official said Taiwan is to establish a mechanism to restrict imports of goods linked to forced labor, the Executive Yuan said yesterday, after the US proposed imposing additional tariffs on Taiwanese goods over labor concerns. “The Ministry of Labor and the Ministry of Economic Affairs are to establish an interministerial review procedure,” Executive Yuan spokesperson Michelle Lee (李慧芝) said at a news briefing in Taipei. “The government is to use the Foreign Trade Act [貿易法] as the legal basis to restrict imports of goods produced with forced labor” and bring its supply chain governance more in line with international standards on human rights, resilience
RESILIENCE: Taiwan plays a key role in semiconductors, energy, information infrastructure and advanced manufacturing, AIT Director Raymond Greene said Taiwan’s continued investment in deterrence and resilience remains vital, especially in uncrewed systems and other emerging technologies, American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Director Raymond Greene said yesterday. Greene made the remarks at the annual National Strategic Summit on Supply Chain Resilience held by the Research Institute for Democracy, Society and Emerging Technology (DSET), a government-backed think tank. As Taiwan last year became the US’ fourth-largest trading partner and supply chain security is becoming more important, cooperation in emerging technologies continues to deepen between the two countries, he said. The US is committed to accelerating innovation, building key infrastructure, strengthening cooperation
NOT IMMEDIATE: Taiwan has a chance to appeal the proposed 10 percent tariff before it starts, while other countries face a 12.5 percent tariff from the trade office Taiwan is among 60 economies determined by the US to have failed to impose or enforce a ban on the importation of goods produced with forced labor, according to a notice released on Tuesday by the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR), which proposed imposing an additional 10 percent or more tariff on them. The USTR in a statement said that following an investigation, it had determined under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 that the failure of the 60 economies to impose and effectively enforce a prohibition on the importation of goods produced with forced labor is
RSS