Taiwan hopes for US trade deal before next APEC summit | Taiwan News

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — As the second round of talks under the United States-Taiwan Initiative on 21st-Century Trade started in Taipei on Saturday (Jan. 14), Taiwan said it was hoping to conclude an agreement before November’s Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in San Francisco.

The first round of the trade talks took place Nov. 8-9 in New York City, with the second round scheduled for Jan. 14-17 in the Taiwanese capital. The project was seen as a quicker alternative to the 14-nation Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF), where Taiwan was not invited.

Assistant United States Trade Representative Terry McCartin led a delegation that included more than 20 people, while Yang Jen-ni (楊珍妮), the deputy trade representative of the Cabinet-level Office of Trade Negotiations, headed the Taiwanese side of the talks, Liberty Times reported.

Outside the venue, Taiwan Chief Trade Representative John Deng (鄧振中), who was not directly involved in the talks, told reporters the country’s aim had not changed, but was still to reach an agreement before the U.S. hosted the next APEC summit in November.

The first day of talks in Taipei Saturday were expected to focus on making trade easier and faster, helping small and medium enterprises, fighting corruption, and establishing a positive legal framework, according to Deng. He added it was impossible to predict how talks would evolve, but he hoped the first day would result in sound progress.