First U.S.-Taiwan Initiative on 21st-Century Trade Meeting Holds in Washington

Taiwan and U.S. officials held the first meeting of the U.S.-Taiwan Initiative on 21st-Century Trade in Washington D.C. on June 27th. The U.S.-Taiwan Initiative on 21st-Century Trade was announced on the first of this month with the goal of promoting trade in the digital economy and deepening trade relations between United States and Taiwan. The meeting was attended by Taiwan’s representative to the U.S. Hsiao Bi-khim, while Taiwan Minister-Without-Portfolio John Deng participated in the meeting by video because he has contracted CCP virus in Mexico. The U.S. side was represented by Deputy Trade Representative Sarah Bianchi who led the meeting, along with members of the U.S. Congress, labor and business leaders.

 The first meeting was held by the Trade Minister of Taiwan and the United States to listen to the views of industry members and groups on deepening U.S.-Taiwan economic, trade relations and exchange views. The Office of Trade Negotiations, Executive Yuan of Taiwan said that in this meeting, U.S. and Taiwan fully demonstrated the importance of transparency in governance and the democratic value of citizen participation; both sides also said the communication effect of this meeting was very good and conducive to promoting the next phase of work.

 In a post-meeting interview, Hsiao said the four-hour meeting covered a wide range of topics, including discussions on the statutory process required by the U.S. side, as well as dialogues with relevant industry players who have a stake in the trade initiative. The meeting also invited Taiwan industry representatives to participate in the discussion, allowing Taiwan’s private sector to have dialogues with the U.S. side from the perspective of Taiwan’s industry, hoping that the meeting would not only convey Taiwan’s official views, but also convey the voice of Taiwan’s industry, allowing the U.S. side to further understand Taiwan’s needs. Hsiao said that the dialogue at the meeting was very constructive and looked forward to the formal launch of negotiations on the relevant trade agreement after the completion of the public comment process and other items in early July.