The flags of the United States and Taiwan displayed on phone screens are seen in this revealing photo taken in Poland on August 4, 2022.
Jakub Porzycki Light photo Getty Images
Taiwan and the United States will hold one-on-one trade talks next week in New York under a new joint initiative announced in June, the US and Taiwanese governments said, a program that opposes China, which sees the island as a is its own land.
Washington and Taipei unveiled the US-Taiwan Initiative for 21st Century Trade in June, days after the Biden administration excluded Taiwan from its Asia-focused economic plan designed to counter China’s growing influence.
The U.S. Trade Representative’s office said in a statement Thursday that “conceptual discussions” will take place on Tuesday and Wednesday, with Assistant U.S. Trade Representative Terry McCartin as the lead trade official.
The US delegation will also include representatives from the National Economic Council, the Department of Commerce, the Department of the Treasury, the Small Business Administration, and the Food and Drug Administration, she added.
The Cabinet of Ministers of Taiwan said that their delegation will include officials from the Ministries of Economy and Finance as well as the Office of Trade Negotiations.
“Although we have not set any timetable, both Taiwan and the United States have a great desire for cooperation and believe that fruitful results can be achieved as soon as possible,” it said in a statement.
Taiwan has long pushed for a broader free trade agreement with the United States, its main international supporter and foreign arms supplier, even without formal diplomatic ties.
China has said it is “firmly” opposed to new trade talks.
