Newsletter
USA NOT READY TO DISCUSS FTA WITH TAIWAN
A US Deputy Trade Representative recently stated that the main reason why the US had as yet been unable to discuss a free trade agreement (FTA) with Taiwan was that despite Taiwan's efforts in the protection of intellectual property rights, piracy and counterfeiting remained ram-pant. The trade representative further stated that the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) in fact served US businesses, and if the US was to establish FTAs with other countries, it was first necessary to obtain the support of the business community, which would then make representations to Congress for the latter to pass FTA legislation.
In view of the ineffectiveness of Taiwan's IPR protection, many U.S. enterprises had stated that they did not favor the idea of an FTA with Tai-wan at this time. The representative also stated that speculation that the US' reluctance to discuss an FTA with Taiwan for political reasons was uncalled for, and that Taiwan had much room for further effort in IPR enforcement.