State Department Assistant Secretary for Asia and the Pacific David Stilwell said Wednesday that the new U.S.-Taiwan economic initiative proposed by the U.S. government this week is “permitted under the three communiqués and the Taiwan Relations Act” and that Beijing should not react sharply.
In a State Department media briefing, Stilwell was asked whether the U.S. government had anticipated a possible strong reaction from Beijing when it launched the new initiative with Taiwan. It’s up to Beijing to decide, he said, but the job of U.S. diplomats is to think about those reactions and anticipate them.
He said, “If you look at the three communiqués and the provisions of the Taiwan Relations Act, the announcements we made earlier this week, including economic relations, cultural exchanges, all of those things are allowed, there’s nothing that prohibits those things, so they shouldn’t have a violent reaction. Efforts to increase prosperity between the two countries should not have an impact.”
The U.S.-Taiwan economic initiative was proposed Monday in response to Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen’s announcement last week that restrictions on imports of U.S. pork and beef would be lifted. Speaking at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank in Washington, D.C., on Monday (Aug. 31), Stalwell announced that the U.S. will launch a new bilateral economic dialogue with Taiwan “that will explore the full scope of the U.S.-Taiwan economic relationship, including semiconductors, health care, energy and more, with technology at its core.”
Starkey said the U.S. has announced that Secretary of State John Klatsch will open an economic dialogue with Taiwan to discuss areas of mutual cooperation, and is still in the early stages of this new phase, which is good news for both the U.S. and Taiwan. He also again welcomed Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen’s decision last week to remove the final hurdle of U.S. pigs and U.S. cattle.
AIT said in a statement Monday that the U.S.-Taiwan “Economic and Business Dialogue” will be hosted by U.S. State Department Undersecretary for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment Keith Krach, and that this new “High-Level Annual Economic Dialogue” will provide a platform to deepen ties between the U.S. and Taiwan on priority economic issues, help open up new areas of cooperation, and strengthen existing programs of cooperation.
President Tsai Ing-wen of Taiwan tweeted Tuesday after the U.S. announced the new U.S.-Taiwan initiative, “The U.S.-Taiwan relationship grows stronger every day. I am pleased that we will soon be launching the U.S.-Taiwan Economic and Commercial Dialogue, another step in the right direction,” President Tsai tweeted Tuesday after the announcement of the new U.S.-Taiwan initiative. This dialogue, along with the Six Pledges, can serve as a foundation for our continued cooperation.”
In response to the U.S. announcement, Taiwan’s representative to the U.S., Amy Hsiao, told the media in a Twin Oaks briefing Tuesday that the two sides are actively discussing the content, timing, location, number of participants, format and other details of the dialogue.
She hopes that this platform will not only serve as a regular dialogue mechanism between the U.S. and Taiwan, but will also deepen and resolve practical issues facing both sides, especially at a time of rapid global change and industrial chain restructuring, when Taiwan must gain an important position.
As to whether the form and content of this new economic dialogue will be similar to the U.S.-China “Strategic Economic Dialogue,” Xiao said that since this is a newly proposed initiative, the specific future direction needs to be further discussed between the two sides. function of long-term strategic interests.”
After Taiwan ruled out the U.S.-Taiwan main trade obstacle of U.S. pigs and U.S. cattle, whether the U.S.-Taiwan bilateral trade agreement is likely to have new progress, Xiao Meiqin said, Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen announced last week to lift the import restrictions on U.S. pigs and U.S. cattle is a difficult decision, but this is an important declaration to the international community, showing that Taiwan is capable of facing difficult, international convergence challenges, but also willing to meet international scientific standards, and to do further convergence with the international community, in the future, when negotiating further economic and trade cooperation process with various countries, Taiwan’s trust and ability will also be more affirmed.
She said, “BTA (bilateral trade agreement) has been the goal of all parties working together, and for more than ten years I believe every party knows that in the process of efforts, the pig and cattle issue has been the main obstacle to further negotiation of BTA”, now this obstacle is removed, Xiao Meiqin said, Taiwan will also strive to further international standards, because Taiwan has made the greatest efforts to this end.
After Stalin’s announcement that the U.S. and Taiwan will establish a new bilateral economic dialogue, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying stressed again at a regular press conference on Tuesday that Taiwan is an inseparable part of China’s territory and that “the Taiwan issue is related to China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” urging the U.S. to “stop promoting the U.S.-Taiwan bilateral economic dialogue,” she said. Substantive relations, stop engaging in any form of official contacts with Taiwan, and stop going further and further down the wrong and dangerous path.”
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