USA / TAIWAN – Consistent with the Biden-Harris administration’s commitment to the highest levels of transparency in trade agreement negotiations, the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) last Thursday released summaries of texts proposed by the US side during the first negotiating round of the US-Taiwan Initiative on 21st Century Trade, which was held in Taipei, Taiwan from January 14-17, 2023.
The summaries detail the negotiating proposals from the US side for the following chapters: customs administration and trade facilitation, good regulatory practices, services domestic regulation, anticorruption, and small – and medium-sized enterprises.
Negotiations between the United States and Taiwan are being conducted under the auspices of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States (TECRO).
These texts follow through on the two sides’ shared commitment to pursue a high-ambition trade initiative, as outlined in the negotiating mandate that was established in August 2022, in order to strengthen and deepen economic and trade ties.
These trade negotiations are being conducted in accordance 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.
Resource: U.S.-Taiwan Initiative on 21st Century Trade January 2023 Negotiating Round Public Summary
