WASHINGTON – The United States and Taiwan, under the auspices of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States (TECRO), will hold in-person conceptual discussions on the U.S.-Taiwan Initiative on 21st-Century Trade in New York City on Tuesday, November 8, and Wednesday, November 9.
The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) will lead the U.S. delegation as the designated representative of AIT. The U.S. delegation will also include representatives from the National Economic Council, the Department of Commerce, the Department of Treasury, the Small Business Administration, and the Food and Drug Administration.
Assistant United States Trade Representative Terry McCartin will serve as the lead USTR official.
These meetings will be closed press.
Background
On June 1, 2022, Deputy United States Trade Representative Sarah Bianchi and Taiwan Minister-Without-Portfolio John Deng met virtually under the auspices of AIT and TECRO to launch the U.S.-Taiwan Initiative on 21st-Century Trade, which is intended to develop concrete ways to deepen the economic and trade relationship, advance mutual trade priorities based on shared values, and promote innovation and inclusive economic growth for our workers and businesses, including through new trade agreements.
On August 17, 2022, the United States and Taiwan, under the auspices of AIT and TECRO, announced the negotiating mandate for formal trade negotiations under this new initiative. The negotiating mandate can be found here and includes a robust agenda for negotiations aimed at reaching agreements on trade facilitation, good regulatory practices, strong anti-corruption standards, enhancing trade between our small and medium enterprises, deepening agriculture trade, removing discriminatory barriers to trade, digital trade, robust labor and environmental standards, as well as ways to address distortive practices of state-owned enterprises and non-market policies and practices.
The United States will continue to consult with Congress and key stakeholders like labor, business, environmental groups, and others throughout the negotiations.
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