Taiwanese and American trade officials began a second round of talks in Taipei on Saturday under a recently launched trade initiative aimed at improving the overall bilateral trade environment.

Leading the two sides in the talks under the U.S.-Taiwan Initiative on 21st-Century Trade are Terry McCartin, assistant U.S. trade representative (USTR) for China affairs, and Yang Jen-ni (???), deputy trade representative of Taiwan’s Office of Trade Negotiations.

McCartin arrived in Taipei on Friday with a delegation of more than 20 American officials and attended a welcome dinner later the same day hosted by John Deng (???), Taiwan’s top trade negotiator, according to a Cabinet official familiar with the matter.

The U.S. delegates are not scheduled to meet with President Tsai Ing-wen (???) or Premier Su Tseng-chang (???), the official said on condition of anonymity, noting that they are on a “tight schedule.”

Few details have been revealed about this round of talks, but the Office of Trade Negotiations is expected to brief the public on the outcome after the negotiations conclude next Tuesday, according to the official.

Speaking to local media on Saturday morning, Deng, who also serves as a minister without portfolio in the Cabinet, said the government was fully prepared for this round of talks and that he hoped for some positive progress.

He said among the 11 issues outlined by the initiative, Taiwanese officials would focus on trade facilitation, the promotion of small and medium enterprises (SMEs), good regulatory practices, and anti-corruption measures.

The goal of the government continues to be that the two sides can “reach some high-standard and economically meaningful agreements” by the end of 2023, Deng said.

Under the initiative launched in June 2022, bilateral negotiations are also expected on trade issues related to agriculture, state-owned enterprises, nonmarket policies and practices, digital trade, standards, labor and the environment.

The initiative, however, does not cover tariff reductions.

The talks being held in Taipei follow the two days of meetings held in New York in November 2022, at which McCartin and Yang also served as the lead officials for the U.S. and Taiwan, respectively.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel