Taiwan to focus on three key issues during TIFA talks: official

2012/06/07 19:52:38  Washington, June 6 (CNA) Bilateral investment treaties, technical barriers to trade and e-commerce will be the main topics of discussion when trade talks between Taiwan and the United States resume, a Taiwanese official said Wednesday.The two sides are hopeful that talks under the bilateral Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) will be resumed this year if Taiwan's Legislature votes on June 12 to lift the ban on imports of U.S. beef containing the livestock leanness-enhancing drug ractopamine.The official, who wishes to remain anonymous due to the sensitive nature of the issue, said U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk, Deputy Trade Representative Demetrios Marantis and Taiwan's Economics Minister Shih Yen-shiang talked on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting held June 3 in Russia.During their informal talks, Shih expressed the wish to list bilateral investment treaties on the priority agenda of future TIFA talks, the official told CNA.In addition, Taiwan also proposes to discuss solutions to technical barriers to trade, such as mutual recognition of conformity assessments of electronics and mechanical goods.In terms of e-commerce, Taiwan wishes to discuss issues related to online transactions and transparency regulations.Taiwan will also push for its inclusion in the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the official said.In turn, the U.S. said it wishes to discuss pharmaceutical pricing, imports of grains, and violations of copyright on the Internet with Taiwan, the official stated.If Taiwan lifts the ban on U.S. beef containing ractopamine, Marantis will lead a delegation to Taiwan for the TIFA talks, the official said.Talks under the TIFA, which was signed in 1994 as a framework for Taiwan-U.S. dialogue on trade-related issues, have been shelved since 2007 because of U.S. dissatisfaction with Taiwan's restrictions on imports of American beef.