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Tai
last month declined to say if Taiwan would be invited to join
the Biden administration's Indo-Pacific economic plan, spurring
Senate criticism that excluding the island would be a missed
opportunity.
Taiwan has voiced its desire to be a "full member" in the
Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF), one part of the
administration's effort to counter what it says is Beijing's
increasing economic and military coercion in the region.
During one hour-long virtual talks on Monday, Taiwan's chief
trade negotiator John Deng reiterated to Tai that the island
supports the framework and wishes to join it, Hsiao Chen-jung,
an official from Deng's office, told Reuters.
"Regional trade issues are of concern to both sides," Hsiao
said, adding the two sides agreed to keep in touch on issues of
mutual concern.
A brief statement from Tai's office made no mention of the
framework, saying the two sides talked about progress on
bilateral trade matters and "their mutual interest in working
together on issues of common concern, including regionally and
in multilateral organizations like the World Trade
Organization".
China, which claims Taiwan as its own territory, has condemned
the U.S. Indo-Pacific push, saying Washington is creating
"exclusive clubs".
Any Taiwanese participation in the economic section would likely
further strain Sino-U.S. ties with Beijing angered by any show
of support from Washington for the island.
(Reporting by Jeanny Kao; Writing by Ben Blanchard; Editing by
Raju Gopalakrishnan)
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