Joe Biden moves US closer to Taiwan, but how far is he willing to risk Beijing’s anger?

The White House has followed a similar approach to the Trump administration by deepening its relationship with the island

But observers say the US will be reluctant to push for normalised relations for fear of the response from mainland China

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Many Taiwanese had feared that Joe Biden would reverse Donald Trump’s friendly policies towards the island. Photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 6:00am, 13 Jun 2021Updated: 6:20am, 13 Jun 2021

The Biden administration’s plan to resume long-stalled trade talks with Taiwan has raised hopes of a normalisation of relations, but observers say it remains to be seen how far it is willing to risk China’s wrath.

The White House has surprised some observers on the island by continuing Donald Trump’s policies of moving closer to Taipei, and this week it went a step further than the previous administration by agreeing to resume the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) talks in the “coming days”.

US trade representative Katherine Tai made the pledge on Thursday during a call with her Taiwanese counterpart John Deng and also said the White House was keen to work with Taiwan “on issues of common concern in multilateral organisations”.

In response, Deng said the island was fully committed to deepening trade ties with the US and promoting globalisation.

“As a reliable and trustworthy partner occupying an important position in the international supply chain, Taiwan looks forward to ongoing cooperation with the US and other economies,” he said.

Taiwan, which started the TIFA talks with the US in 1994, has long hoped to use the platform to negotiate a US-Taiwan trade deal.