How will an FTA between Taiwan and the United States help Taiwan integrate better with the rest of East Asia?
Taiwan views the FTA with the U.S. as a means of diversifying its economic and investment relations with trading partners. Closer economic ties between Taiwan and the U.S. are important for their own sake. In addition, we approached trading partners in Asia to explore possibilities for FTAs, and we hope after we start with the United States, they could follow the U.S. lead. With the WTO Doha negotiations faltering, our partners in Asia have negotiated a complex network of FTAs and cooperation agreements that, for the moment, exclude Taiwan. Once we complete an FTA with the United States, we believe that many other doors will be open to us in Asia. In this way, the FTA with the U.S. becomes a key feature of our future economic competitiveness in our region and with the rest of the world…….
