Taiwan working on FTA talks with Latin American nations: Official
Monday March 13, 2006
Taiwan Working on Fta Talks With Latin American Nations: Official
PANAMA, March 13 Asia Pulse - Taiwan’s free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations with Nicaragua are expected to be finalized by the end of this year, Taiwan Bureau of Foreign Trade Director-General Huang Chih-peng said in Panama Saturday.
In addition, Taiwan is scheduled to start FTA talks this year with El Salvador, Honduras, Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic, Huang went on.
Huang, who led a Taiwan trade and investment delegation exploring trade opportunities with Panama March 10-11, made the remarks during an interview with a CNA reporter stationed in the Central American country.
Huang said that while here, he and the delegation members met with Panamanian officials and business leaders and that he voiced his optimism about the future of bilateral economic and trade relations.
Central and South America are Taiwan’s diplomatic strongholds and Panama is one of the major states in the region, so Taiwan places high value on its relations with the nation, Huang explained. He added that two-way trade has grown significantly since a Taiwan-Panama FTA came into force in early 2004.
According to Huang, his delegation will also visit Nicaragua and Guatemala. He said that Taiwan has signed a FTA with Guatemala and that the agreement is pending approval by the Guatemalan Congress.
