A top US economic official is visiting Taiwan to discuss economic issues in bilateral relations. Taiwan is interested in joining the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP), a trade agreement among 12 Pacific Rim countries including the US.
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs at the Department of State Kurt Tong went to see President-elect Tsai Ing-wen on Tuesday. He also went to the Presidential Office to meet with President Ma Ying-jeou. He was accompanied by American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Director Kin Moy. The AIT is the de facto US embassy in Taiwan in the absence of formal diplomatic ties.
When asked by the media if he discussed US pork imports, Tong did not respond. The ban on US pork imports that have traces of the leanness enhancing agent ractopamine has been a major trade issue in bilateral ties.
During his trip, Tong will speak at the American Chambers of Commerce banquet and meet with Taiwan officials to discuss economic issues.
During his meeting with Tong, President Ma said the US has affirmed the peaceful progress in cross-strait ties in the past 8 years. Ma also said that US-Taiwan ties have made progress.
"This includes the signing of a Global Cooperation Training Framework (GCTF) last June. We've established a platform for bilateral exchanges, " Ma said. "Last October, we hosted several economic forums. These two events have symbolic meaning in deepening bilateral cooperation. We hosted training in Taiwan regarding the Ebola virus. This is something we did not do in the past."