The U.S. Trade Representative said on August 17 local time that it announced the formal launch of the "21st Century Trade Initiative" with Taiwan, and the first round of negotiations is expected to begin in early fall this year.

Jimu News Reporter Song Qingying

Intern Yang Xingnan

U.S. Trade Representative Office said on August 17 local time that it announced the official launch of the "21st Century Trade Initiative" with Taiwan, and the first round of negotiations is expected to begin in early autumn this year. my country's Ministry of Commerce said that China firmly opposes this.

According to Taiwan's China Times News Network, Taiwan's foreign affairs department spokesperson Ou Jiang'an said that Taiwan and the United States expect that in the near future, the two sides will negotiate on 11 topics including trade facilitation, good laws and regulations, anti-corruption, small and medium-sized enterprises, agriculture, standards, digital trade, labor, environment, state-owned enterprises, non-market policies and practices.

Outdoor scene of the Office of the United States Trade Representative (Photo source: Official website of the United States Trade Representative)

On August 18, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Commerce of China said that the United States announced the launch of the so-called "US-Taiwan 21st Century Trade Initiative" negotiations and announced the so-called "negotiation authorization". China firmly opposes this. China has always opposed any form of official exchanges between any country and Taiwan, including the negotiation and signing of any agreement with sovereignty or official nature.

In June this year, Taiwan announced the so-called "21st Century Trade Initiative" for the first time. At the end of June, the first talks were held in Washington . Taiwan's "Governmental Affairs Commissioner" Deng Zhenzhong, who was originally scheduled to attend, attended the meeting with a video because of confirmed COVID-19. Xiao Meiqin, the so-called "representative to the United States, who was recently listed as a "Taiwan independence" die-hard, attended the meeting in person.

In response to this, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said at a regular press conference on June 28 that China firmly opposes any form of official exchanges between countries establishing diplomatic relations and Taiwan, including negotiations on agreements with sovereignty and official nature. The DPP authorities should dispel the plot of "relying on the United States to seek independence" as soon as possible, otherwise the higher they jump, the worse they fall.

DPP authorities call this initiative a "major breakthrough in economic and trade relations between Taiwan and the United States." However, according to Taiwanese media reports, the people on the island did not pay for this so-called "initiative". Some netizens complained: "Didn't say anything?"

. The Kuomintang legislator Li Guimin , who has Taiwanese and American lawyer qualifications, said that the initiative "only superficial". The so-called "initiative" and "agreement" are completely different. Its content has not been authorized by the US Congress, and important matters such as tariff reduction and exemption of and market opening have not been included in the discussion.

(Source: Jimu News)

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