Taiwan and the US have begun trade negotiations over tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump earlier this month, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said in an interview this morning before reporting to the Legislative Yuan’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee.
The Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office (TECRO), Taiwan’s de facto embassy in the US, has already established communication channels with the US Department of State and the US Trade Representative (USTR), and is engaging in intensive consultations, he said.
Points of negotiation include tariffs, non-tariff trade barriers and issues related to investment, procurement and export controls, he added.
Photo: Chen I-kuan, Taipei Times
Representative to the US Alexander Yui (俞大㵢) is also in communication with US government departments, Lin said.
Taiwan would also take into consideration negotiations between the US and Japan and other countries which have been subject to the new tariffs, he said.
In related news, Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon has led a trade delegation to Taiwan which arrived on Saturday and is to depart tomorrow.
The Wyoming Energy Authority is to sign a memorandum of understanding with the Taiwan Association of Quantum Computing and Information Technology to initiate bilateral cooperation in quantum technology development.
The visiting delegation would also engage in discussions of US-Taiwan trade, particularly regarding projects and exchanges with Wyoming, Lin said.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has also been in diplomatic negotiations with Cambodia after it deported over 180 Taiwanese fraud suspects to China earlier this month, Lin said.
Personnel have been sent to Cambodia from the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, he added.
The ministry has lodged a formal complaint against Cambodia for its “disregard of international norms,” Lin said.
Furthermore, Ho Jen-chieh (何仁傑), a former assistant of National Security Council Secretary-General Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) when he was the defense minister from 2016-2024, was expelled from the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) earlier this month over allegations of involvement in a Chinese espionage case and is now being held incommunicado.
The case is currently under judicial investigation, Lin said, which involves looking into Ho’s previous responsibilities, his contacts and whether any sensitive information was leaked.
Lin said that Ho resigned before he took office, but the ministry established a task force to launch an internal political ethics investigation and is currently cooperating with judicial authorities.
Additional reporting by Huang Ching-hsuan
The inspection equipment and data transmission system for new robotic dogs that Taipei is planning to use for sidewalk patrols were developed by a Taiwanese company, the city’s New Construction Office said today, dismissing concerns that the China-made robots could pose a security risk. The city is bringing in smart robotic dogs to help with sidewalk inspections, Taipei Deputy Mayor Lee Ssu-chuan (李四川) said on Facebook. Equipped with a panoramic surveillance system, the robots would be able to automatically flag problems and easily navigate narrow sidewalks, making inspections faster and more accurate, Lee said. By collecting more accurate data, they would help Taipei
STATS: Taiwan’s average life expectancy of 80.77 years was lower than that of Japan, Singapore and South Korea, but higher than in China, Malaysia and Indonesia Taiwan’s average life expectancy last year increased to 80.77 years, but was still not back to its pre-COVID-19 pandemic peak of 81.32 years in 2020, the Ministry of the Interior said yesterday. The average life expectancy last year increased the 0.54 years from 2023, the ministry said in a statement. For men and women, the average life expectancy last year was 77.42 years and 84.30 years respectively, up 0.48 years and 0.56 years from the previous year. Taiwan’s average life expectancy peaked at 81.32 years in 2020, as the nation was relatively unaffected by the pandemic that year. The metric
TAKING STOCK: The USMC is rebuilding a once-abandoned airfield in Palau to support large-scale ground operations as China’s missile range grows, Naval News reported The US Marine Corps (USMC) is considering new sites for stockpiling equipment in the West Pacific to harden military supply chains and enhance mobility across the Indo-Pacific region, US-based Naval News reported on Saturday. The proposed sites in Palau — one of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies — and Australia would enable a “rapid standup of stored equipment within a year” of the program’s approval, the report said, citing documents published by the USMC last month. In Palau, the service is rebuilding a formerly abandoned World War II-era airfield and establishing ancillary structures to support large-scale ground operations “as China’s missile range and magazine
Passengers on Taiwan High Speed Rail (THSR) will be required to use headphones and make phone calls in gangways under new “quiet travel” rules starting Sept. 22. THSR Chairman Shih Che (史哲) told media that THSR will run a three-month promotional campaign to ensure widespread adoption of the new rules. Those repeatedly ignoring the guidance face the potential termination of their transport contract, which can result in them getting escorted off the train, according to THSR. Shih shared his hope to cultivate an environment conducive to rest and reading for the train’s passengers, stating that these changes aim to “promote self-discipline” among passengers