Twenty-three Republican members of the US House of Representatives on Monday called on US President Joe Biden’s administration to pursue a free-trade agreement with Taiwan.
A letter written by US Representative Lisa McClain from Michigan and signed by 22 other representatives seeks to persuade Biden that such a trade deal would benefit both nations economically, and enable the US to address China’s economic influence in the Indo-Pacific region.
“A free-trade agreement with Taiwan would not only open up new opportunities for Michigan’s manufacturing and agriculture industries, it would also allow Taiwan to become less reliant on Communist China,” McClain said in a statement.
“A free-trade agreement with Taiwan would show our allies in the region that the United States is committed to working with our partners in the Indo-Pacific region to counter the Chinese Communist Party’s [CCP] growing influence and territorial advances,” she said.
“We must show our allies that they are not alone in that fight,” she added.
The letter urges the Biden administration to sign a free-trade agreement with Taiwan under the Taiwan-US Trade and Investment Framework Agreement.
The representatives said that since the passage of the Taiwan Relations Act in 1979, Taiwan has become an strong ally of the US against the CCP’s expanding influence and military power in Southeast Asia.
“A formal free-trade agreement with Taiwan would bring significant economic benefits for both our nations,” the letter said. “Taiwan is also a fertile investment opportunity for many of our businesses in the technology sector. Taiwan has rapidly become one of the premier electronics manufacturing hubs in the world.”
A free-trade agreement is expected to create more business opportunities for US manufacturers and farmers, while the US would also gain better access to Taiwan’s food and energy sectors, and boost the protection of intellectual property rights for US firms, it said.
The letter praised the decision by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co, the world’s largest contract chipmaker, to invest and build an advanced wafer plant in Arizona.
“A free-trade agreement with Taiwan would allow the United States to begin countering CCP’s economic influence in the Indo-Pacific region,” the letter said.
“By enacting a trade agreement with Taiwan, the United States would demonstrate to our Indo-Pacific allies that we are invested in their security and prosperity,” it said.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Joanne Ou (歐江安) thanked the representatives for their support and said that Taiwan would continue to push for a free-trade agreement with the US, and deepen trade and investment ties between the two nations.
The Grand Hotel Taipei on Saturday confirmed that its information system had been illegally accessed and expressed its deepest apologies for the concern it has caused its customers, adding that the issue is being investigated by the Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau. The hotel said that on Tuesday last week, it had discovered an external illegal intrusion into its information system. An initial digital forensic investigation confirmed that parts of the system had been accessed, it said, adding that the possibility that some customer data were stolen and leaked could not be ruled out. The actual scope and content of the affected data
‘LIKE-MINDED PARTNER’: Tako van Popta said it would be inappropriate to delay signing the deal with Taiwan because of China, adding he would promote the issue Canadian senators have stressed Taiwan’s importance for international trade and expressed enthusiasm for ensuring the Taiwan-Canada trade cooperation framework agreement is implemented this year. Representative to Canada Harry Tseng (曾厚仁) in an interview with the Central News Agency (CNA) said he was increasingly uneasy about Ottawa’s delays in signing the agreement, especially as Ottawa has warmed toward Beijing. There are “no negotiations left. Not only [is it] initialed, we have three versions of the text ready: English, French and Mandarin,” Tseng said. “That tells you how close we are to the final signature.” Tseng said that he hoped Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney
POSITIVE DEVELOPMENT: Japan and the US are expected to hold in-depth discussions on Taiwan-related issues during the meeting next month, Japanese sources said The holding of a Japan-US leaders’ meeting ahead of US President Donald Trump’s visit to China is positive news for Taiwan, former Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association representative Hiroyasu Izumi said yesterday. After the Liberal Democratic Party’s landslide victory in Japan’s House of Representatives election, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is scheduled to visit the US next month, where she is to meet with Trump ahead of the US president’s planned visit to China from March 31 to April 2 for a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平). Japan and the US are expected to hold in-depth discussions on Taiwan-related issues during the
President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday bestowed one of Taiwan’s highest honors on Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) Ambassador Andrea Clare Bowman in recognition of her contributions to bilateral ties. “By conferring the Order of Brilliant Star with Grand Cordon on Ambassador Bowman today, I want to sincerely thank her, on behalf of the Taiwanese people, for her outstanding contribution to deepening diplomatic ties between Taiwan and SVG,” Lai said at a ceremony held at the Presidential Office in Taipei. He noted that Bowman became SVG’s first ambassador to Taiwan in 2019 and
RSS