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.
Chinese spouse and influencer Guan Guan’s (關關) residency permit has been revoked for repeatedly posting pro-China videos that threaten national security, the National Immigration Agency confirmed today. Guan Guan has said many controversial statements in her videos posted to Douyin (抖音), including “the red flag will soon be painted all over Taiwan” and “Taiwan is an inseparable part of China,” and expressing hope for expedited reunification. The agency last year received multiple reports alleging that Guan Guan had advocated for armed reunification. After verifying the reports, the agency last month issued a notice requiring her to appear and explain her actions. Guan
GIVE AND TAKE: Blood demand continues to rise each year, while fewer young donors are available due to the nation’s falling birthrate, a doctor said Blood donors can redeem points earned from donations to obtain limited edition Formosan black bear travel mugs, the Kaohsiung Blood Center said yesterday, as it announced a goal of stocking 20,000 units of blood prior to the Lunar New Year. The last month of the lunar year is National Blood Donation Month, when local centers seek to stockpile blood for use during the Lunar New Year holiday. The blood demand in southern Taiwan — including Tainan and Kaohsiung, as well as Chiayi, Pingtung, Penghu and Taitung counties — is about 2,000 units per day, the center said. The donation campaign aims to boost
The Kaohsiung Tourism Bureau audited six hotels in an effort to prevent price gouging ahead of Korean band BTS’ concert tour in the city scheduled for Nov. 19, 21 and 22 this year. The bureau on Friday said that the audits — conducted in response to allegations of unfair pricing posted on social media — found no wrongdoing. These establishments included the local branches of Chateau de Chine, Hotel Nikko, My Humble House, and Grand Hai Lai, it said, adding that the Consumer Protection Commission would have penalized price gougers had the accusations been substantiated. The bureau said the Tourism Development Act
The military yesterday said it has located the flight data recorder, or black box, of an F-16V jet that disappeared off eastern Taiwan earlier this month, and it would soon deploy a salvage team to try to retrieve it. Air Force Command Headquarters said that while it had pinned down the location of the black box, it was still searching for the aircraft’s sole pilot, air force Captain Hsin Po-yi (辛柏毅). Without providing details, the air force said it had located the black box days after detecting some intermittent signals and would now engage a team of professionals to retrieve it. The air
RSS