US Business Group Calls for ‘Urgent’ Taiwan Free Trade Talks

US Business Group Calls for ‘Urgent’ Taiwan Free Trade Talks
AmCham Taiwan Vice Chairperson Andrea Wu (L) and President Andrew Wylegala pose with a copy of the 2022 White Paper by the American Chamber of Commerce in Taiwan, in Taipei, Taiwan on June 22, 2022. Ben Blanchard/Reuters
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TAIPEI—The United States should “urgently” start talks with Taiwan on a free trade agreement with the aim to present a completed text for passage in 2024, the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) in Taiwan said in an annual policy paper published on Wednesday.

Taiwan has long campaigned for such a deal, in what would be a strong show of support for the self-ruled island in the face of unrelenting diplomatic and military pressure from Beijing. The Chinese regime claims the island as its own, despite Taiwan being a de facto independent country, with its own military, democratically-elected government, and constitution.