A bipartisan group of 50 U.S. senators Thursday encouraged President Donald Trump to begin negotiating a bilateral free trade agreement with Taiwan.
The request from 42 Republicans and eight Democrats is seen as part of a continuing push by senators for stronger U.S. action to counteract China and its expansionist ambitions.
The senators sent a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer encouraging him to begin negotiating a comprehensive free trade agreement. They commended Taiwan's record as a U.S. economic partner and ally.
Taiwan has support for a free trade agreement in the House of Representatives, too. Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and chairperson of the China task force, said a trade deal with Taiwan was "very much" on the Trump administration's radar.
McCaul said trade negotiations were "an important foreign policy statement to make" and would help hold China accountable for its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"It is very much on their radar screen," McCaul said when asked if the Trump administration intended to reach a trade deal with Taiwan. "I don't think that Lighthizer has 100% approved it, but...it is one of the options on the table for them and I think a recommendation coming from the task force would carry a lot of weight."
Taiwan has long desired a trade deal with the U.S. to improve its market access and to address U.S. complaints about barriers preventing the entry of U.S. pork and beef. In August, Taiwan president Tsai Ing-wen hoped for talks with the U.S. "Past months have shown us the importance of economic linkages and supply chain security for both Taiwan and the U.S.," Tsai said during a video presentation hosted by the Hudson Institute and the Center for American Progress.
"We must be clear-eyed on how we can move forward on a free trade agreement. For too long, closer trade relations have been hindered by technicalities that account for just a small fraction of two-way trade."
Taiwan announced an easing of restrictions on the import of U.S. beef and pork that will take effect Jan. 1. Taiwan-U.S. trade in 2019 was $85.5 billion with the U.S. posting a $23.1 billion deficit. Taiwan was the U.S.'s 14th biggest export market in 2019.
