Source: China Jingwei Network (data map) Author Ai Lin Taiwan Special Commentator The 11th Taiwan-US "Trade and Investment Architecture Agreement" (TIFA) talks were held on June 30, but compared with the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) and From the respect

Source: China Jingwei.com

(data map)

Author Ai Lin Taiwan special commentator

The 11th Taiwan-US "Trade and Investment Architecture Agreement" (TIFA) talks were held on June 30, but compared with the U.S. Trade Representative's Office (USTR) and Taiwan's "Executive Yuan" Office of Economic and Trade Negotiations (OTN) respectively issued press releases. It can be clearly found that this Taiwan-US drama, which has lasted for five years, is what you say is yours and what I miss mine. There is no intersection; Taiwan wants the production and OEM of the new crown vaccine, hopes that the United States will cancel the national security tariffs on steel, and finally sign the Taiwan-US Trade Agreement (BTA). In exchange, the Americans will only say that they must target the obstacles for American pigs and American cattle to enter the Taiwan market. Strengthen contact on issues such as Taiwan and other issues; creating an embarrassing scene of "a Taiwan-US TIFA meeting with each expressing their own opinions."

The day before the TIFA talks, Tsai Ing-wen made a special public statement, saying that the convening of TIFA talks between Taiwan and the United States is a very important step for

Taiwan's foreign trade. In the past few years, we have made every effort to promote the transformation of the economic structure, and also demonstrated the ability to solve difficult trade issues, Determined to go global, both Taiwan and the United States believe that now is the time for TIFA to move forward.

Tsai Ing-wen also warned the day before that this TIFA meeting will have an important agenda, which is to simplify the import and export procedures of vaccines and other medical supplies. These substantive cooperation will bring important assistance to our current epidemic control. , she has asked the negotiating team to go all out.

After the TIFA talks ended the next day, the "Economic and Trade Office" held a press conference to explain the results. The talks were mainly divided into two categories: "trade and investment related issues" and "improving future trade and cooperation issues", including semiconductors, Ten major consensuses were reached on electric vehicles, vaccine production and OEM; completely avoiding the most sensitive issues of American pigs and American cows in Taiwan.

officials also described that the United States affirmed that this meeting was highly successful and believed it would have a positive impact on improving Taiwan-US economic and trade relations. The two sides agreed to set up working groups on different projects this time and will continue to discuss different issues throughout the year. related issues.

However, looking at the press release issued by the Office of the United States Trade Representative after the meeting, the two sides reached a consensus after the 11th U.S.-Taiwan TIFA meeting to strengthen contact to address the obstacles for U.S. pigs and U.S. cattle to enter the Taiwan market; the United States discussed the Biden administration’s labor-oriented policies. The center's trade policy also discusses key trade and environmental issues on which the United States and Taiwan can cooperate with each other, such as combating wildlife trafficking and developing trade tools to address the climate change crisis. Both parties also agreed to establish a new labor working group under the TIFA framework.

In other words, Taiwan’s so-called Taiwan-US TIFA Ten Consensus is actually just ten different working groups, focusing on six “trade and investment” topics including agriculture, medical equipment, labor, environment, intellectual property, and financial services. As well as four "trade and cooperation" topics such as international cooperation, supply chain, trade facilitation, and enhancing Taiwan-US economic and trade relations, meetings will continue in the future.

But what about the vaccine production and OEM claimed by Tsai Ing-wen, as well as the signing of the BTA agreement between Taiwan and the United States? There are no concrete results, and there is no cooperation in industries such as semiconductors and electric vehicles claimed by Taiwan. In exchange for only the Americans, "I heard it, but we are more concerned about the obstacles in the export of American pigs (Lai Zhu) and American cattle (Lai Niu) to Taiwan."

This Taiwan-U.S. drama, which has not happened for five years, had so much preparation beforehand, including the grand release of the American Business White Paper by the American Chamber of Commerce in Taipei in mid-June, and a pretentious appeal to their home country that the American Chamber of Commerce in Taipei would fully support Taiwan and the United States. Sign the BTA agreement. The day before the meeting, Tsai Ing-wen also made a special speech, asking the negotiating team to go all out and follow the soldiers' lives to ensure victory. In the end, it became "Taiwan avoids talking about U.S. pig imports and the United States does not mention vaccine OEM." Expression. The most ironic thing is that both sides also said that the talks were "fully successful".

In fact, from the press release issued by the USTR, we can keenly see that the reason why the United States restarted the Taiwan-US TIFA talks after five years is to focus more on its own agricultural interests and help Tsai Ing-wen warn to launch the "anti-Taiwanese Opponents of the "Pig" referendum should not act rashly, and pressure Taiwan's public opinion and public opinion not to support the "anti-Pig" referendum; otherwise, Taiwan will lose its backer in the United States.As for Taiwan's bid to manufacture the COVID-19 vaccine, and Taiwan and the United States describing a supply chain alliance, let's take a look at your little brother's performance.

And Tsai Ing-wen is happy to rely on the power of the Americans to launch another "big internal propaganda" that is the best in the history of Taiwan relations, and at the same time transfer public complaints that the new crown epidemic has been completely out of control under the rule of the Democratic Party of China. As for whether she will let Taiwanese eat more pigs in vain for food safety, or overdraft the people's wealth to buy more military weapons, this is not what she cares about. She only cares about whether her political life can be continued.

Since the first Taiwan-U.S. TIFA talks were held in 1995, it has now become a battlefield for the United States to gain and demand from Taiwan. Everyone knows that in this talks, both sides are said to be equal and reciprocal, but the negotiating weight has always been The United States values ​​Taiwan more than Taiwan. The scale has never been balanced and has always been tilted towards the United States. As long as the Americans are slightly displeased, they will always threaten Taiwan with stoppages.

Now that the Taiwan-US TIFA is reopening, and it will be open all year round, those familiar with the matter can’t help but shake their heads and sigh, wondering what resources the Americans will take away from Taiwan’s pockets.

Huaxia Jingwei.com