WASHINGTON – The United States and Taiwan, under the auspices of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States (TECRO), held an in-person negotiating round for the U.S.-Taiwan Initiative on 21st Century Trade in Washington, D.C. from August 14-18, 2023.
The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) led the U.S. delegation as the designated representative of AIT. The U.S. delegation was led by Assistant United States Trade Representative Terry McCartin and included representatives from other U.S. government agencies.
During the negotiating round, the two sides exchanged views on proposed texts covering agriculture, labor, and the environment. The conversations were productive and officials will continue to hold discussions in the months ahead in order to reach consensus.
Additional details about subsequent negotiating rounds will be provided at a later date.
This negotiating round comes after the United States and Taiwan, under the auspices of AIT and TECRO, signed an initial agreement under the initiative covering customs administration and trade facilitation, good regulatory practices, services domestic regulation, anticorruption, and small- and medium-sized enterprises. As a result of this agreement, U.S. businesses will be able to bring more products to Taiwan and customers there, while creating more transparent and streamlined regulatory procedures that can facilitate investment and economic opportunities in both markets, particularly for small- and medium-sized enterprises.
The first agreement was signed by representatives of AIT and TECRO on June 1, 2023. The text of this agreement can be found on USTR’s website.
These trade negotiations are being conducted consistent with the United States’ one China policy, which is guided by the Taiwan Relations Act, the three U.S.-China Joint Communiques, and the Six Assurances.
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