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Taiwan top trade negotiator holds in-person talk with U.S. counterpart

ROC Central News Agency

05/21/2022 12:21 PM

Taipei, May 21 (CNA) Taiwan's top trade negotiator John Deng (鄧振中) met with United States Trade Representative (USTR) Katherine Tai in Bangkok on Friday to discuss trade and investment issues, paving the way for what both sides described as concrete plans to boost bilateral economic ties.

Deng, who is also a minister without portfolio, met with Tai a day before a two-day Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting between trade envoys of the forum's members opens in the Thai capital.

Deng and Tai discussed their work within APEC and the World Trade Organization and "opportunities to deepen the economic relationship, advance mutual trade priorities based on shared values, and promote innovation and inclusive economic growth for their workers and businesses," according to a USTR readout.

The two also directed their teams to explore concrete ways to deepen the U.S.-Taiwan trade and investment relationship and agreed to meet again in the coming weeks to discuss the path forward, the readout said.

During the meeting, the two officials noted the strength and durability of the economic ties between the U.S. and Taiwan and reiterated their focus on maintaining supply chain resilience as well as improving labor and environmental standards.

In a statement issued by the Office of Trade Negotiations, Deng said he was pleased to meet Tai in-person for the first time since the U.S. official took office in March 2021 and that both sides had "broad" and "in-depth" discussions.

Deng and Tai last met in a virtual economic talk in April.

Neither of the two sides mentioned whether the bilateral discussions on Friday touched upon the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF), which U.S. President Joe Biden is set to launch in Japan next week on his first presidential visit to Asia that also includes South Korea.

Taiwan's government has expressed an interest in taking part in the IPEF initiative.

U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told the media on Friday that the IPEF would not be a traditional free trade agreement but would instead be "the new model of economic arrangement."

With topics such as supply chains, the digital economy, the clean energy transformation, and investments in infrastructure covered, Sullivan added that the IPEF would mark a significant milestone in U.S. engagement in the Indo-Pacific.

(By Stacy Hsu and Teng Pei-ju)

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