US-Taiwan Trade Talks Could Outpace Indo-Pacific Effort: USTR Official

Flags of Taiwan and the United States are placed for a meeting in Taipei, Taiwan, on March 27, 2018. Tyrone Siu/Reuters

WASHINGTON—New U.S. trade negotiations with Taiwan could move more quickly than broader talks with 12 Indo-Pacific countries given strong interest in Taipei and Washington in deepening economic ties, Deputy U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Sarah Bianchi said on Thursday.

There are parallels between the newly launched Indo-Pacific Economic Framework talks and the Taiwan talks, Bianchi told Reuters in an interview, but the latter initiative is aimed at increasing links with Taiwan on specific economic issues.