Advertisement
Advertisement
Taiwan
Get more with myNEWS
A personalised news feed of stories that matter to you
Learn more
US congressman Michael McCaul says a trade deal with Taiwan would help hold Beijing accountable for its handling of the coronavirus outbreak. Photo: EPA-EFE

US-China relations: Taiwan trade deal on Donald Trump’s radar, American lawmaker says

  • Republican group led by Michael McCaul says talks with Taipei would be an ‘important foreign policy statement to make’ and help hold Beijing accountable for its handling of the coronavirus outbreak
  • Taiwan has long sought a free-trade agreement with the US, its most important supporter on the international stage
Taiwan
A group of Republican lawmakers seeking to counter national security and economic threats from mainland China is calling for the United States to open trade talks with Taiwan, a plan which is “very much” on the radar screen of the Trump administration, according to the congressman who leads the group.
Representative Michael McCaul, who chairs the China task force launched by House of Representatives Republicans earlier this year, said such negotiations would be “an important foreign policy statement to make”, and help hold Beijing accountable for its handling of the coronavirus outbreak, which has drawn fire from President Donald Trump.

“It is very much on their radar screen,” McCaul said when asked if the Trump administration and its top trade negotiator, Robert Lighthizer, would pursue a deal.

“I don’t think that Lighthizer has 100 per cent approved it, but … it is one of the options on the table for them and I think a recommendation coming from the task force would carry a lot of weight.”

A group of Republican lawmakers is calling for the United States to open trade talks with Taiwan. Photo: Reuters

The proposal is one of 400 recommendations outlined in a report set to be released later on Wednesday by the task force.

The report will also recommend bolstering US medical supply chains, sanctioning Chinese telecoms companies engaged in economic or industrial espionage, and evaluating whether Beijing’s repression of its Uygur Muslim minority amounts to genocide.

No sign China is preparing attack on Taiwan – but we will be ready if they do: defence chief

Taiwan has long sought a free-trade agreement with the United States, its most important supporter on the international stage, but Washington has complained about barriers to access for US pork and beef.

Last month, Taiwan paved the way for an eventual deal by announcing an easing of restrictions on the import of US beef and pork that is expected to go into effect on January 1.

Taiwan-US trade last year was worth US$85.5 billion, with the US running a US$23.1 billion deficit. Taiwan was the United States’ 14th-biggest export market in 2019.

Like most countries, the US has no official relations with Taiwan, which Beijing regards as part of its sovereign territory.

Post