The US House of Representatives on Wednesday approved the first agreement under the US-Taiwan Initiative on 21st-Century Trade, sending it to the US Senate where it is expected to be ratified.
The initiative streamlines customs checks, looks to improve regulatory procedures and establishes anti-corruption measures.
The American Institute in Taiwan signed the agreement on June 1 with the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the US.
Photo courtesy of Z.Media
In Taipei, Minister Without Portfolio John Deng (鄧振中) said that expanding agricultural exports to the US would be a priority issue in negotiations of the second phase of the initiative.
Deng in an interview with media personality Frances Huang (黃光芹) said that environmental protection and labor issues would also be high on the agenda for negotiations in the second part of the trade initiative with the US.
The agreement covers 81 articles in five key areas and is a complete pact, Deng said, adding that it has legal basis and is a formal accord, unlike most of the deals previously signed with the US, which were in the form of memorandums.
The agreement covers the areas of customs administration and trade facilitation, good regulatory practices, services domestic regulation, anti-corruption, and small and medium-sized enterprises.
Taiwan and the US are to hold trade talks on the more complicated topics of environmental protection, labor and agricultural issues, Deng said.
On the issue of agriculture, the focus would be on Taiwan’s exports of agricultural products to the US, he said.
China used to be the largest market for Taiwanese agricultural exports.
However, Beijing has over the past few years banned the importation of several Taiwanese agricultural products, prompting the nation to shift exports to Singapore and Japan, he added.
The US is the biggest market for Taiwan’s agricultural goods and processed agricultural products, Deng said.
Regarding environmental protection, Taiwan would seek an environmental protection agreement with Washington, Deng said.
The government also hopes to create a favorable work environment for Taiwanese, he added.
The topics in the next phase of talks would be “a little more difficult” to discuss than the previous five items, Deng said.
Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr arrived in Taiwan last night to kick off his first visit to the country since beginning his second term earlier this year. After arriving at Taoyuan International Airport at around 6:30 pm, Whipps and his delegation were welcomed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍). Speaking to gathered media, the Palauan leader said he was excited and honored to be back in Taiwan on his first state visit to Taiwan since he was sworn in this January. Among those traveling with Whipps is Minister of State Gustav N. Aitaro, Public Infrastructure
RESOLUTIONS DEBATE: Taiwan’s allies said that UN and WHA resolutions cited by China and other nations ‘do not determine Taiwan’s participation in WHO activities’ A proposal to invite Taiwan to this year’s World Health Assembly (WHA) was rejected on Monday, resulting in Taipei’s absence from the annual meeting for a ninth consecutive year, although partners spoke up for Taiwan’s participation at the first day of the meeting. The first agenda item after the opening was a “two-on-two debate” on a proposal to invite Taiwan to participate at the WHA as an observer. Similar to previous years, two countries made statements in favor of the proposal, while two others expressed their opposition. Philippine Secretary of Health Teodoro Herbosa, president of the 78th WHA, accepted the WHA General Committee’s
Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) on Friday laid out the Cabinet’s updated policy agenda and recapped the government’s achievements ahead of the one-year anniversary of President William Lai’s (賴清德) inauguration. Cho said the government had made progress across a range of areas, including rebuilding Hualien, cracking down on fraud, improving pedestrian safety and promoting economic growth. “I hope the public will not have the impression that the Cabinet only asked the legislature to reconsider a bunch of legal amendments,” Cho said, calling the moves “necessary” to protect constitutional governance and the public’s interest. The Cabinet would work toward achieving its “1+7” plan, he said. The
Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) hosted a dinner in Taipei last night with key Taiwanese suppliers to celebrate the successful mass production of the company’s new Blackwell AI systems. Speaking to the media earlier yesterday, Huang thanked Nvidia’s Taiwanese partners for their contributions to the company’s ecosystem, while also sharing his plans to meet with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) founder Morris Chang (張忠謀). In response to rumors that Nvidia will launch a downgraded Hopper H20 chip for China in July, Huang dismissed the reports, saying, “That is not true.” He clarified that there
RSS