Taipei, April 29 (EFE).- Taiwan and the United States began this Monday in Taipei a round of trade negotiations focused on agriculture, environment and labor issues, as part of the so-called ‘US-Taiwan Trade Initiative on Trade in the 21st century’, running from 2022.
In statements to the media, the deputy director of the Trade Negotiations Office of the Executive Yuan, Yang Jen-ni, acknowledged that these conversations are somewhat more complex than previous ones due to the different regulatory and legal frameworks that exist around these topics.
“Having negotiations in person also means that both sides are willing to communicate better,” said Yang, who did not reveal further details about the content of the negotiations that will be held behind closed doors until Saturday.
According to figures from the US Department of Agriculture, Taiwan was the seventh largest market for agricultural products and derivatives from the United States last year, reaching a value of 3,744 million dollars (3,492 million euros).
According to this same organization, the United States was the main destination for Taiwanese agricultural exports in 2023 with 935 million dollars (872 million euros), which represented 17% of the island’s total agricultural sales abroad that year. anus.
This dialogue occurs within the framework of the so-called ‘US-Taiwan Trade Initiative on Trade in the 21st Century’, under which the island and the North American country signed the first part of a partial trade agreement last year.
Although this trade agreement is far from being a free trade agreement, it has been described by Taipei as the most extensive trade pact between both sides since Washington established diplomatic ties with Beijing in 1979.
That partial agreement is limited, covering issues such as customs forms, regulatory practices and anti-corruption measures, but it does not address tariffs on certain goods or Taiwanese complaints about double taxation in the United States.
The Chinese government already expressed its opposition to the signing of that partial trade agreement last year, arguing that it is a violation of the “one China” policy.
Taiwan, where the Chinese nationalist army withdrew after defeat at the hands of communist troops in the civil war (1927-1949), has been governed autonomously since the end of the war, although China claims sovereignty over the island. which he considers a rebellious province for whose “reunification” he has not ruled out the use of force. EFE
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