Washington, Jan. 21 (CNA) U.S.-Taiwan trade talks and Taiwan's participation in international organizations will be the major priorities in bilateral relations in the near future, Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng said in Washington, D.C. Monday. Wang, in the U.S. capital to attend the inauguration ceremony of President Barack Obama, said the resumption of long-stalled talks under the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (ITFA) would be an important step forward. Talks under the TIFA, signed in 1994 to serve as a major channel for bilateral investment and trade consultations, have been suspended since 2007 due to U.S. dissatisfaction over Taiwan's restrictions on imports of American beef. The United States should also help Taiwan join the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a regional trade bloc currently under negotiation, and support Taiwan's bid to become an observer at the United Nations Framework Committee on Climate Change and International Civil Aviation Organization, Wang said. He also hoped that the United States would continue to support arms sales to Taiwan so that it has the capability to defend itself. Taiwan's top representative in the United States, King Pu-tsung, described the United States as a long-term ally of Taiwan and said the two sides should build even greater economic cooperation. King said that after the resumption of TIFA talks, his major goals would be faster progress on a bilateral investment agreement (BIA) and Taiwan's quick entry into the Trans-Pacific Partnership. He said Taiwan has felt Obama's friendliness toward Taiwan over the past four years and looked forward to deeper cooperation with the Obama administration over the next four years.

January 21, 2013

Source: CNA