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Washington and Taipei unveiled the U.S.-Taiwan Initiative on
21st-Century Trade in June, just days after the Biden
administration excluded the Chinese-claimed island from its
Asia-focused economic plan designed to counter China's growing
influence.
The office of the U.S. Trade Representative said the two sides
had "reached consensus on the negotiating mandate" and it was
expected that the first round of talks would take place early
this autumn.
"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," Deputy United States Trade Representative Sarah
Bianchi said in a statement.
Taiwan's top trade negotiator, John Deng, told reporters in
Taipei he hoped talks could start next month, and that this
could one day lead to a free trade deal the island has long
sought with the United States.
The negotiating mandate released along with the announcement
said the United States and Taiwan had set a robust agenda for
talks on issues like trade facilitation, good regulatory
practices, and removing discriminatory barriers to trade.
It said the beginning of the formal talks would be for the
purpose of reaching agreements with "high standard commitments
and economically meaningful outcomes".
Deng said one topic would be China's economic coercion, a
reference to action Beijing takes to block trade with countries
it is in dispute with, such as when Lithuania allowed Taiwan to
open a de facto embassy in its capital.
"Its economic coercion targets are not just the United States or
Taiwan, it's done to a lot of countries. Its harm to the global
economic and trade order is great," Deng said.
Despite the lack of formal diplomatic ties, the United States
has been keen to bolster support for Taiwan, especially as it
faces stepped up political pressure from China to accept its
sovereignty claims.
China reiterated its opposition to the new Taiwan-U.S. trade
initiative.
Foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin told reporters in
Beijing that China opposed any country signing official trade
deals with Taiwan, and he called on the United States to stop
its engagement with the island.
"China will take resolute measures to uphold its national
sovereignty and territorial integrity. We advise the United
States stop making misjudgements," he said.
(Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Additional reporting by Eduardo
Baptista in Beijing; Editing by Stephen Coates, Robert Birsel)
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