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進入《TAIPEI TIMES》 Group pushes Taiwan support in US
Taiwanese Chambers of Commerce of North America president Michelle Chang, second left, speaks at a news conference in Washington on Saturday. Photo: CNA
AIMING FOR RECOGNITION: Aside from meeting with members of the US Congress, the TCCNA held a tea party to promote Taiwan’s participation in the CPTPP
/ Staff writer, with CNA, WASHINGTON
A Taiwanese Chambers of Commerce of North America （TCCNA） delegation last week sought support in Washington for Taiwan’s bid to join regional trade pacts and enhance its role in international organizations.
The 14-member delegation embarked on the three-day visit on Thursday, during which they met with officials from the US Department of Commerce and the Washington office of the American Institute in Taiwan （AIT）, as well as dozens of members of the US Congress, TCCNA president Michelle Chang （張聖儀） told a news briefing on Saturday.
The group appealed to members of Congress to facilitate the signing of a Taiwan-US trade agreement to promote trade and commerce between the two countries by eliminating trade barriers such as tariffs, Chang said.
It also urged the members of Congress to support Taiwan joining the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework being planned by US President Joe Biden’s administration.
The delegation expressed hope that the members of Congress would support Taiwan’s participation in the WHO and World Health Assembly, Chang said.
The 75th World Health Assembly is set to open on May 22 in Geneva, Switzerland.
“We hope at this important moment, the WHO can at least give Taiwan observer status,” Chang said.
Although the US is not a member of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership （CPTPP）, the delegation also sought Congress’ support for Taiwan’s bid to join the free-trade agreement involving 11 economies in the Pacific region, she said.
The delegation spoke with about 40 members of Congress, including US senators Dan Sullivan and Tammy Duckworth, who traveled to Taiwan in June last year, Chang said.
On Thursday, the delegation met with Richard Steffens, the US Department of Commerce’s acting deputy assistant secretary for Asia, to exchange views on economic and trade exchanges with the US, among other issues.
They met Ingrid Larson, managing director of the Washington AIT office, and officials in charge of economics and trade affairs at the office the following day.
The meeting, which lasted nearly an hour, focused on Taiwan-US relations and how to promote bilateral economic and trade exchanges, Chang said.
To promote Taiwan’s participation in the CPTPP, the delegation held a tea party for CPTPP member states on Thursday, which was attended by 14 representatives.
Several of the attendees were ambassadors of the member states in the US, Chang said, declining to disclose the participating countries.
The participants promised to share the TCCNA’s message and urge their governments to back Taiwan’s membership bid, Chang said.
The TCCNA, established in 1987, is composed of businesspeople who immigrated to North America from Taiwan. It consists of about 40 chambers of commerce in the US and Canada.
新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES
