US-Taiwan
The discussion around a possible bilateral free trade agreement between Taiwan and the US has been drawn out for years, with Taiwan requesting and the US acting lukewarm toward the idea.
At stake in any kind of bilateral trade or investment deal here is, first and foremost, the political standing of Taiwan vis-a-vis China and the rest of world. An FTA with Washington would amount to US recognition of Taiwan’s sovereignty and independence from China. This goes against Chinese policy and could trigger military action. The US adheres to Beijing’s "one China" policy while it maintains unofficial relations with Taiwan.
The economics of a potential deal are another story. Taiwan is the US’ eighth largest trading partner, and sixth largest importer of US agricultural goods, and wants its own terms of access to US markets. But the US insists that the actual benefits of an FTA for Taiwan would not be important, even though Washington constantly pressures Taiwan to improve its policies on electronic commerce, government procurement, intellectual property, food safety and US beef for the benefit of American corporations.
In the meantime, the two governments, through their respective proxy agencies, signed a sort of Trade and Investment Framework Agreement in 1994 and conduct discussions through the TIFA Council.
last update: May 2012
Articles
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1-Aug-2012 AFP US official to visit Taiwan amid trade talks push
A senior US diplomat is to visit Taiwan this month, officials said Wednesday, as Taipei looks to resume free trade talks with Washington after lifting a six-year-old ban on some US beef imports. -
28-Jun-2012 AFP US envoy urges Taiwan to open market amid beef row
Washington’s de facto ambassador to Taiwan on Wednesday urged the island to further open its market if it hopes to sign a trade deal with the US, amid a lingering dispute over American beef imports. -
11-Jun-2012 AFP Taiwan activists protest against U.S. beef
Larger trade talks between Taiwan and the United States have stalled as a result of the country’s indecision about accepting US beef imports. -
10-Jun-2012 Civic groups mount call-in against US beef
Civic groups and the Consumers’ Foundation yesterday encouraged consumers to call legislators and urge them to vote against relaxing a ban on ractopamine residues in US meat products, stressing that the health of Taiwanese should not be used as a trading chip for economic development. -
8-Jun-2012 CNA Activists protest at AIT over US beef import row
Activists demonstrated at the American Institute in Taiwan Friday to protest what they called Washington’s highhanded attitude in forcing Taiwan to open its doors to US beef containting residue of the leanness-enhancing drug ractopamine. -
1-Jun-2012 CNA TIFA talks may resume by year end if beef row ends: official
Vice Economics Minister Francis Liang said Thursday if Taiwan can resolve its beef dispute with the United States, the two sides will be able to resume talks this year under the bilateral Trade and Investment Framework Agreement. -
31-May-2012 Taipei Times AIT denies tying beef to TIFA, visa waiver
The American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday denied that the AIT was “menacing” Taiwan, as the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) put it, by tying a resumption of trade talks under the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) to the US beef issue. -
31-May-2012 China Post No TIFA without US beef solution: lawmaker
The de facto United States envoy to Taiwan has made it clear that the island’s restrictions on the import of certain US beef products have complicated the bilateral trade situation and could jeopardize the restarting of trade pact talks -
1-Apr-2012 U.S. beef row tests nation’s resolve to liberalize trade: minister
Foreign Affairs Minister Timothy Yang said Friday that the U.S. beef dispute not only involves beef but is also related to how the country shows its resolve to liberalize trade and strengthen its competitive edge. -
21-Mar-2012 Meat Controversy: Ma says US beef policy will help boost trade relations
President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday said he was concerned about the nation’s economic development after a free-trade agreement (FTA) between South Korea and the US came into force last week, adding that the government’s plan to partially lift a ban on US beef imports would help facilitate trade relations with other countries. -
7-Mar-2012 WSJ On the menu in Taiwan? US beef with a dash of ractopamine
Taiwanese officials on Wednesday said they would recommend a conditional lifting of restrictions against U.S. beef that contains a “safe level” of ractopamine, a meat-leanness enhancer used by U.S. cattle raisers, to the legislature. -
5-Mar-2012 Taipei Times ANALYSIS: Academics lambaste US’ ractopamine safety data
Local experts in hygiene and veterinary medicine have urged the US to squarely face the challenges posed by the scientific evidence on which it has based its contention that US beef containing the lean meat-enhancing feed additive ractopamine is safe for human consumption, before it presses Taiwan to handle the issue scientifically. -
24-Feb-2012 CNA Pig farmers plan protest against US beef on March 8
Some 20,000 pig farmers will take to the streets of Taipei on March 8 to protest against any move to lift the bans on imports of US beef that contain residues of feed additive ractopamine -
20-Feb-2012 CNA Taiwan urged to follow chewing gum example in addressing beef issue
A Singaporean academic suggested Sunday that Taiwan follow Singapore’s approach to a sticky controversy with the United States over a chewing gum ban as it grapples with a dispute over imports of US beef. -
16-Feb-2012 CNA Major hypermarkets trying to deal with US beef issue
Four major hypermarkets in Taiwan have been making efforts to reassure consumers about the safety of their beef products, amid speculations that Taiwan may be preparing to lift its ban on US beef imports that contain residues of the feed additive ractopamine in order to facilitate trade talks -
10-Feb-2012 CNA Group vows to protest if ban on ractopamine lifted
An association of hog growers threatened Friday to mobilize its members in protest outside the Presidential Office if the government buckles under pressure and allows the entry of US beef imports containing a banned leanness-enhancing drug. -
16-Sep-2011 CNA Beef issue pivotal to resumption of TIFA talks: US official
A visiting high-ranking US official said Thursday that Taiwan’s ban on the importation of specific American beef products is a challenging issue that needs to be addressed before talks can resume over the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) between the two sides. -
16-Sep-2011 Kyodo Taiwan-US FTA not in cards: US official
A free trade agreement between Taiwan and the United States is not realistic at the moment as there remain many barriers, a high-level U.S. official said Wednesday. -
4-Aug-2011 Chinese opposition not a concern of U.S.-Taiwan FTA: scholar
The real barrier to the signing of a free trade agreement (FTA) between the U.S. and Taiwan is not China’s opposition, but American disinterest and Taiwanese protectionism, a research fellow of the Asian Studies Center at the Heritage Foundation said Wednesday. -
10-Jul-2011 Taipei Times Officials indicate ractopamine ban remains in place
Taiwan is in no hurry to lift the ban on a lean growth-enhancing agent, the cause of a major trade dispute with the US, as the international food standards setting body again failed to advance maximum residue limits (MRLs) for the additive, government officials said yesterday.
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US-Taiwan Free Trade Agreement
A weblog with news clips about discussions toward a US-Taiwan FTA. Origin unknown.
