US, Taiwan ‘exchange views’ during ‘satisfactory’ talks toward landmark trade deal
- Second round of in-person talks came after Washington and Taipei agreed in June to pursue the US-Taiwan Initiative on 21st-Century Trade
- Taiwan points to ‘possibility of signing early-harvest deals’ on various traded goods
Taiwan and the United States wrapped up four days of talks on Tuesday with the goal of signing a trade initiative that would increase economic contact, but analysts warned that any deal could provoke Beijing.
US and Taiwanese officials “exchanged views” over the past few days on the proposed text for the agreement, the US trade representative’s office said in a statement.
That text covers trade “facilitation”, anticorruption, small and medium-sized enterprises and regulatory practices, according to the statement.
“Officials also reached consensus in a number of areas and pledged to maintain an ambitious negotiating schedule in the months ahead to continue this momentum,” the US side said. “These texts follow through on the two sides’ shared commitment to pursue a high-ambition trade initiative.”
