Taiwan Caucus Co-Chairs Lead Letter to USTR on Beginning Trade Deal Negotiations with Taiwan

(Washington D.C.) – Congressional Taiwan Caucus co-chairs, Rep. Albio Sires (D-NJ), Rep. Steve Chabot (R-OH), Rep. Gerald E. Connolly (D-VA) and Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL.), led a bipartisan letter to U.S. Trade Representative Robert E. Lighthizer encouraging him to work toward beginning negotiations on a bilateral trade agreement with Taiwan.

They were joined by 157 members, over a third of the membership of the House of Representatives. Several members of the key House Committee on Foreign Affairs and the House Committee on Ways and Means signed the letter.

The members wrote: “The [Taiwan Relations Act] has facilitated decades of economic, security, and trade relations that have benefited the global community and increased the prosperity of the United States and Taiwan. With this in mind, we strongly believe you should work toward beginning negotiations for a bilateral trade agreement with Taiwan.”

They continued: “Taiwan has already expressed strong interest in negotiating a fair, reciprocal, and high-standard bilateral trade agreement with the United States….As the trade and investment relationship with Taiwan already supports an estimated 373,000 U.S. jobs, working toward the negotiation of a high-standard and comprehensive U.S.-Taiwan bilateral trade agreement would further enhance our shared goal of enhancing the global competitiveness of U.S. industries while spurring American job creation.”

Read the full letter here: