US-Taiwan trade agreement on schedule: Trade representative
RTI | 4 May 2023
US-Taiwan trade agreement on schedule: Trade representative
By Iris Hsu
The progress to finalize the U.S.-Taiwan 21st Century Trade Initiative is on schedule though without a definitive signing date. That came from Minister without Portfolio John Deng (鄧振中) when he met with U.S. deputy trade representative Sarah Bianchi on Tuesday to discuss the trade agreement progress. He was accompanied by the Taiwan representative to the United States Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴).
Deng says the meeting was fruitful and both sides feel positive about the progress of the agreement. The agreement will address the areas of customs practices, regulations, anti-corruption, and small- and medium-sized enterprises. Deng says they also discussed the next steps to move forward with the agreement.
When asked by reporters about the timeline for finalizing the agreement, Deng said the date did not come up in the meeting, but the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office will hold more discussions with U.S. authorities regarding the timeline.
According to Deng, the Biden administration will need more time to brief Congress over the details of the agreement, and the Taiwanese government will also need to communicate more with its citizens.