REUTERS
October 1, 2020 at 15:06 JST
A computer screen shows images of Chinese President Xi Jinping, right, and U.S. President Donald Trump (AP photo)
WASHINGTON--A group of Republican lawmakers seeking to counter national security and economic threats from China is calling for the United States to open trade talks with Taiwan, a plan which is “very much” on the radar screen of the Trump administration, according to the congressman who leads the group.
Representative Michael McCaul, who chairs the China task force launched by House of Representatives Republicans earlier this year, said such negotiations would be “an important foreign policy statement to make,” and help hold China accountable for its handling of the coronavirus outbreak, which has drawn fire from President Donald Trump.
“It is very much on their radar screen,” McCaul told Reuters, when asked if the Trump administration and its top trade negotiator, Robert Lighthizer, would pursue a deal. “I don’t think that Lighthizer has 100 percent approved it, but... it is one of the options on the table for them and I think a recommendation coming from the task force would carry a lot of weight.”
The proposal is one of 400 recommendations outlined in a report set to be released later on Wednesday by the task force.
The report will also recommend bolstering U.S. medical supply chains, sanctioning Chinese telecoms companies engaged in economic or industrial espionage, and evaluating whether the Beijing’s repression of its Uighur Muslim minority amounts to genocide.
Taiwan has long sought a free trade agreement with the United States, its most important supporter on the international stage, but Washington has complained about barriers to access for U.S. pork and beef.
Last month, Taiwan paved the way for an eventual deal by announcing an easing of restrictions on the import of U.S. beef and pork that is expected to go into effect on Jan. 1.
Taiwan-U.S. trade last year was worth $85.5 billion, with the United States running a $23.1 billion deficit. Taiwan was the United States’ 14th biggest export market in 2019.
The United States, like most countries, has no official relations with Taiwan, which is claimed by Beijing as sovereign Chinese territory. China has been stepping up its military activities near the island.
Diplomat: Taiwan may help if Hong Kong violence expands
December 11, 2019
U.S. applauds Tsai’s re-election as Taiwan president--Pompeo
January 12, 2020Amid China threat, Taiwan asks U.S. experts to aid defenses
December 3, 2019
Taiwan scrambles fighters as Chinese jets again menace island
September 19, 2020EXPLAINER-Why is Taiwan-China tension rising and what are the risks?
September 21, 2020
Here is a collection of first-hand accounts by “hibakusha” atomic bomb survivors.
A peek through the music industry’s curtain at the producers who harnessed social media to help their idols go global.
Cooking experts, chefs and others involved in the field of food introduce their special recipes intertwined with their paths in life.
A series based on diplomatic documents declassified by Japan’s Foreign Ministry
A series about Japanese-Americans and their memories of World War II
