《TAIPEI TIMES》Tsai has chance to address FTA: AmCham chair

By Kao Shih-ching / Staff reporter

As Taiwan’s relations with the US are better than ever, President Tsai Ing-wen （蔡英文） has a chance to make progress on a US-Taiwan free-trade agreement （FTA） this year, American Chamber of Commerce in Taipei （AmCham） chairman C.W. Chin （金奇偉） said yesterday.

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US-Taiwan relations are at their best ever, as Taiwan earned respect and goodwill through its handling of the COVID-19 outbreak, while there is a high chance of seeing a breakthrough with the US as Washington seeks trusted allies in the Indo-Pacific region, Chin told a news conference in Taipei.

“We are optimistic that both governments are more likely to make progress in starting FTA negotiations this year, despite the restrictions on international air travel amid the pandemic, which has posed a challenge to US Trade Representative officials for the US-China trade talks,” Chin told the Taipei Times at the event.

As Tsai, who began her second term last month, is under no re-election pressure, she is expected to more proactively address the issue of a ban on imports of US pork and some beef products, which has been regarded as the main obstacle to an FTA between the US and Taiwan, Chin said.

In its annual white paper released yesterday, AmCham for the second consecutive year urged the US government to enter into negotiations with Taiwan for a bilateral trade agreement.

Despite the US’ displeasure with Taiwan’s import restrictions on certain US beef and pork products, “Washington’s position that resolution of those issues must be a precondition for starting FTA negotiations has not achieved positive results,” AmCham wrote in its “Message to Washington” section of the white paper.

“The chamber believes a different strategy would be more practical — begin talks with the clear understanding that these issues would need to be resolved as part of the negotiations,” the paper said.

“We urge the US and Taiwan to handle their disagreements in a more practical and flexible way,” AmCham president William Foreman told reporters.

Another obstacle to an FTA is China’s opposition, but in the current political environment, Beijing’s opposition might carry less weight than it did in the past and the US administration would likely have to expend less political capital to cope with it, AmCham said.

AmCham also suggested that the US bring the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement process back on track as soon as the travel situation permits.

It also urged Washington to help Taiwan gain participation in international organizations such as the WHO, Interpol and the International Civil Aviation Organization, which have a direct impact on the safety and well-being of its citizens.

AmCham said 11 of the 82 issues raised in last year’s white paper have been resolved, and that it is looking forward to continuing to partner with Taipei to resolve other issues, such as insufficient budget for new drugs and a lack of communication with firms in the digital economy sector.

Taiwan has done a great job of containing COVID-19, and it can leverage its success in fighting the pandemic to show that it is an outstanding place to do business and invest, the chamber said.

新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES