USA / TAIWAN – 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), will hold another in-person negotiating round for the US-Taiwan Initiative on 21st Century Trade in Taipei, Taiwan, beginning April 29, 2024.
The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) will lead the US delegation as the designated representative of American Institute in Taiwan (AIT). The US delegation will be led by Assistant United States Trade Representative for China, Mongolia and Taiwan Affairs Terry McCartin and will include representatives from other US government agencies.
The delegations are expected to discuss several of the trade areas set forth in the initiative’s negotiating mandate. These meetings will be closed press. Additional details about subsequent negotiating rounds will be provided at a later date.
This negotiating round comes after the two sides concluded 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, US 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 US-China Joint Communiques, and the Six Assurances.