200 U.S. House members call for Taiwan's inclusion in planned IPEF
ROC Central News Agency
03/31/2022 07:59 PM
Washington, March 30 (CNA) A bipartisan group of lawmakers in the United States House of Representatives has petitioned for Taiwan to be included in the planned U.S.-led Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF).
In a March 30 letter addressed to two members of the U.S. Cabinet, the group of 200 House representatives noted that Taiwan has expressed interest in participating in the IPEF, the first major trade and economic initiative proposed by U.S. President Joe Biden for the Indo-Pacific region.
"As Taiwan is a major economy in the Indo-Pacific region, we strongly believe that Taiwan should be invited to participate in the IPEF," the lawmakers wrote, citing Taiwan's role as a major economy in the region and its status as the U.S.' eighth-largest trading partner in 2021 with US$114 billion in total trade.
Taiwan has played a critical role in diversifying the U.S. supply chain, which has become increasingly dependent on the People's Republic of China (PRC), said the letter, which was addressed to U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Katherine Tai, who is Taiwanese-American.
The letter stated that since 2020, Taiwan and the U.S. have been engaged in the U.S.-Taiwan Economic Prosperity Partnership Dialogue, which covers a broad range of economic issues, including digital commerce, 5G networks, telecommunications security, supply chains, infrastructure cooperation, renewable energy, global health, and science and technology, many of which are proposed for inclusion in the IPEF.
Other IPEF participants would welcome Taiwan's inclusion, as it has been an active member of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) since 1991 and has worked closely with regional partners to facilitate trade and investment liberalization, said the letter, which was signed by co-chair of the Congressional Taiwan Caucus Steve Chabot, caucus members Albio Sires, Mario Diaz-Balart and Gerry Connolly, and 196 other House representatives across party lines.
In addition, the lawmakers said, Taiwan has built partnerships with regional countries, under the Global Cooperation and Training Framework (GCTF), which was co-founded in 2015 by the U.S. and Taiwan and later joined by Japan and Australia as full partners.
Since then, the GCTF has hosted international workshops that have attracted thousands of participants from regional countries that benefit from Taiwan's expertise, according to the letter.
That expertise would also enhance the likelihood of a successful outcome of the IPEF deliberations, it said.
"For these reasons alone, we believe that Taiwan should be at the front of the line to be invited to participate in the IPEF," the House members wrote.
They said Taiwan's inclusion would also send a clear signal that the U.S. stands with its allies and partners and will not be bullied by the PRC.
The House members also said that in view of Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine, it is critically important for the U.S. to unequivocally support Taiwan "as it confronts an increasingly bellicose PRC."
"Taiwan's admission to the IPEF would be an essential step in demonstrating America's resolve to protect, defend and strengthen that key partnership," the letter states.
In October 2021, President Biden announced plans for a U.S-led IPEF, which would be his administration's first major trade and economic initiative in the Indo-Pacific region.
In an IPEF update issued on Feb. 25, the White House's Congressional Research Service said U.S. officials do not envision that the IPEF would take the form of a traditional trade agreement.
The initiative, rather, will include different modules, covering "fair and resilient trade, supply chain resilience, infrastructure and decarbonization, and tax and anticorruption," with some binding commitments, excluding market access obligations, the research service said, citing a USTR official.
(By Stacy Hsu and Flor Wang)
Enditem/pc
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
