Published Date: 2021-07-08
The Australian is
reporting that a recent video conference between the Australian trade minister
and Taiwan’s economics minister bodes well for the prospects of future
bilateral free trade negotiations.
Previous talks
about a possible free trade agreement with Taiwan were halted due to pressure
from China. However, on July 1, Australia’s Minister for Trade, Tourism and
Investment Dan Tehan held a video conference with Taiwanese Economics Minister
Wang Mei-hua, during which they discussed topics including the possibility of
future exports of Australian hydrogen energy to Taiwan.
In a report
Thursday, The Australian said the virtual meeting showed the Australian
government’s renewed willingness to reach a free trade agreement with Taiwan.
The report noted how closely the meeting followed the resumption of US-Taiwan
trade talks. It also noted that Taiwan is the only one of Australia’s top ten
trade partners that has not signed a free trade agreement with Canberra.
Though Tehan
himself did not comment on the possibility of a free trade agreement with
Taiwan, The Australian article says that a number of unnamed Australian
officials believe that concluding such an agreement is a “no-brainer".