Taiwan Media: Clark, US Deputy Secretary, Meets President Tsai Ing-wen

Discussion Likely on Holding High-Level Economic and Commercial Dialogue
Taiwan Hopes for FTA, Encourages US TSMC to Expand Production Facilities in the US

[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Jo Young-shin] Taiwanese media including Central News Agency reported on the 18th that Keith Krach, U.S. Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment, will meet with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen.

Krach and his delegation are also scheduled to meet with Taiwanese officials to discuss various economic cooperation measures, including plans to hold a newly agreed high-level "Economic and Commercial Dialogue" between the U.S. and Taiwan, local media reported.

Tsai Ing-wen, President of Taiwan.

The U.S. government stated that Krach visited Taiwan on the 19th to attend the farewell memorial service for the late former Taiwanese President Lee Teng-hui, but it is expected that during his visit he will focus on strengthening economic cooperation between the U.S. and Taiwan.

On the night of the 17th, Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement on Facebook saying, "Since 1979, this is the highest-ranking U.S. State Department official to visit Taiwan, symbolizing the close and friendly cooperative relationship between Taiwan and the United States," and added, "We will further solidify the economic ties between Taiwan and the U.S."

Taiwan strongly desires to establish a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the United States. The decision to allow imports of U.S. beef and pork containing ractopamine, a livestock growth promoter, despite some domestic opposition, was interpreted as a concession aimed at concluding an FTA with the U.S.

Hong Kong's South China Morning Post (SCMP) also analyzed that the high-level "Economic and Commercial Dialogue" between the U.S. and Taiwan serves as a preparatory process for a bilateral trade agreement. It reported that issues such as industrial supply chain security, technology, and energy cooperation will be broadly discussed.

In particular, regarding industrial supply chain security, the U.S. is concerned that most of the operations of TSMC, the world's largest semiconductor foundry on which the U.S. advanced industry heavily depends, are located in Taiwan, which could be vulnerable to Chinese attacks in an emergency. The U.S. is encouraging expansion of production facilities within the country.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.