US to begin formal trade negotiations with Taiwan this fall amid tensions with China

By Vakkas Dogantekin

ANKARA (AA) - The US said Wednesday that it has agreed to launch formal negotiations on a bilateral trade framework with Taiwan early in the fall amid already high tensions with China over the status of the island nation.

"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), today have reached consensus on the negotiating mandate for the U.S.-Taiwan Initiative on 21st-Century Trade announced on June 1, 2022," the Office of the US Trade Representative said in a statement.

It added that the mandate sets out the broad objectives shared by the two sides for the upcoming trade negotiations, which are expected to start "early this fall."

"We plan to pursue an ambitious schedule for achieving high-standard commitments and meaningful outcomes covering the eleven trade areas in the negotiating mandate that will help build a fairer, more prosperous and resilient 21st century economy," said Deputy US Trade Representative Sarah Bianchi.

On June 1, 2022, under the auspices of the AIT and TECRO, the US and Taiwan announced their intent to develop an ambitious roadmap for negotiations under the U.S.-Taiwan Initiative on 21st-Century Trade.

The Chinese military has held massive exercises since early this month, soon after US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi paid an unannounced visit to Taiwan, which Beijing views as its “breakaway province.”

Although Pelosi and the Biden administration reiterated US adherence to the One-China policy, Chinese authorities have considered the visits as dangerous defiance of the status quo.

Beijing condemned the trip, sanctioned Pelosi and her family, and downgraded military dialogue with the US, besides taking several other countermeasures.

However, this past Sunday, 12 days after Pelosi’s trip, another delegation of US lawmakers landed in Taipei, where they held a security and supply chain dialogue with Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen.