In a show of solidarity for the island democracy that is self-ruled and is claimed by China’s Communist Party as part of its territory, the administration of the United States of America proposes to negotiate with Taiwan about negotiating a comprehensive trade pact.
Following the visit to Taiwan earlier this month by the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi, Beijing conducted military manoeuvres that included the launching of missiles into the sea. The statement made on Thursday came after these drills.
The office of the United States Trade Representative did not mention any conflict with Beijing; however, they did say that the “formal conversations” were intended to improve trade and regulatory cooperation, which would include tighter official engagement.
Last week, President Joe Biden’s coordinator for the Indo-Pacific region, Kurt Campbell, told reporters that trade talks would be part of efforts to “deepen our ties with Taiwan,” despite the fact that he said that U.S. policy was not changing. Campbell was referring to Taiwan as a “strategic partner” of the United States.
In 1949, after a civil war, Taiwan and China went their own ways. The island has never been a part of the People’s Republic of China; yet, according to the Communist Party, it is politically obligated to become unified with the mainland, and they are willing to use force to accomplish this goal.
Even though the United States does not have any formal connections with Taiwan, it does have substantial contacts with the island via its de facto embassy, which is known as the American Institute in Taiwan.
The government of Chinese President Xi Jinping believes that official contact with Taiwan, such as Pelosi’s one-day visit on August 2, could encourage Taiwan to try to make its decade-old de facto independence permanent, a step that Beijing claims would lead to war. Pelosi’s visit was only one day long.
The United States government in Washington has said that it does not have a stance on the status of China or Taiwan but that it does desire their disagreement to be resolved peacefully. According to federal law, it is the responsibility of the United States government to ensure that the island has the capability to defend itself.
On Sunday, a second delegation from the United States Congress visited Taiwan and met with President Tsai Ing-wen. This delegation was headed by Senator Ed Markey, a Democrat from Massachusetts. After their arrival, Beijing made the announcement that they would be conducting a second round of military exercises.
The news of the trade discussions did not prompt any instant response from Beijing.
Agriculture, labour, the environment, digital technology, the status of state-owned companies, and “non-market policies” will all be topics that will be discussed at the discussions, according to the USTR.
However, it did state that discussions would take place under the auspices of the American Institute and Taiwan’s informal embassy, which is known as the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States. However, it did not provide any indication as to which officials would be involved.
As a result of disagreements about security and technology, as well as Beijing’s treatment of Muslim minority and its crackdown in Hong Kong, relations between the United States and China are at their lowest level in decades.
They have been engaged in a tariff war for the last three years due to disagreements in several of the sectors outlined in the statement made on Thursday. They include China’s support for government companies that dominate many of its industries and complaints that Beijing steals foreign technology and hampers foreign competitors in a variety of fields in violation of its market-opening commitments. China’s support for government companies dominates many of its industries.
As a result of allegations that China’s strategies for the development of its technology violate its free-trade agreements and pose a danger to the industrial leadership of the United States, the then-President Donald Trump increased tariffs on Chinese imports in 2019. The majority of those tariff increases are still in effect despite President Joe Biden’s decision.
According to the United States Trade Representative, Taiwan, which has a population of 24 million, is the ninth-largest trade partner for the United States and the 10th-largest export market for the United States. According to the United States Department of State, it is a “important U.S. ally in the Indo-Pacific.”
Processor chips for cellphones, medical gadgets, automobiles, and household appliances, as well as industrial components used by manufacturers in China and other Asian nations, are mostly sourced from Taiwan. This makes Taiwan the primary worldwide supplier for these products.