Advertisement
Taiwan
ChinaDiplomacy

US and Taiwan hold first round of trade talks in new bid to counter China’s economic influence

  • Two sides expect to sign agreements covering trade areas spanning regulatory practices, digital trade and state-owned enterprises, US Trade Representative says
  • The talks follow an announcement this month of a ‘US-Taiwan Initiative on 21st-Century Trade’ that strengthens Washington’s ties to Taipei

Reading Time:3 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
3
Taiwan’s top trade negotiator John Deng has said Taipei’s goal is a free trade-pact with the United States. Photo: Executive Yuan
Robert Delaney

The US said on Monday that it had held a first round of talks with Taiwanese officials on an initiative aimed at boosting trade ties “based on shared values” – formally opening another front on which US President Joe Biden is trying to counter Beijing’s economic influence.

US deputy trade representative Sarah Bianchi and Taiwanese minister without portfolio John Deng met under the auspices of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), Washington’s de facto embassy on the self-ruled island, and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in Washington (Tecro), according to an announcement by the office of the US Trade Representative (USTR).

The two sides expect to sign “agreements with high-standard commitments”, which “will cover a number of trade areas, including trade facilitation, regulatory practices, agriculture, anti-corruption, small- and medium-sized enterprises, digital trade, labour, environment, standards, state-owned enterprises, and non-market policies and practices”, USTR said.
Advertisement
The office’s announcement about the US-Taiwan Initiative on 21st-Century Trade earlier this month sparked an angry response from Beijing, which considers the self-ruled island to be a renegade province.
“The US insistence on playing the Taiwan card will only endanger China-US relations,” foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said after AIT and Tecro announced the initiative.
Advertisement

Allen Carlson, director of Cornell University’s China and Asia-Pacific Studies programme, said that “Washington is undertaking [the new US-Taiwan initiative] with more than one eye, probably two eyes, on Beijing and how Beijing is responding”.

Advertisement
Select Voice
Choose your listening speed
Get through articles 2x faster
1.25x
250 WPM
Slow
Average
Fast
1.25x