Published Date: 2021-07-01
A bipartisan group
of US senators has written a letter to US Trade Representative Katherine Tai
calling for her to prepare for a free trade agreement with Taiwan.
The group of more
than 40 senators sent the letter before Taiwan and the US resumed trade
negotiations Wednesday after a five year hiatus.
In the letter, the
senators write that US-Taiwan trade talks are of high strategic importance
because they maintain US economic influence in the surrounding region and lower
Taiwan’s reliance on China. The senators say that trade talks with Taiwan are
necessary to ensure an open and free Indo-Pacific region.
The senators write
that Taiwan’s lifting of restrictions on imports of US beef and pork products
last year removed a major obstacle to free trade agreement discussions, and
that now, the time has come for the US to respond by opening such discussions.
In addition, the
senators note Taiwan’s importance as a trade partner for the US. Taiwan is the
United States’ tenth largest trading partner and its eight biggest export
market. They also write that Taiwan has high standards when it comes to labor
rights and environmental protections, and that Taiwan is a true, democratic
friend to the US.