TAIPEI Act Passes House Unanimously; Calls for US-Taiwan FTA Negotiations
A bill that calls on the administration to begin negotiations on a U.S.-Taiwan free trade agreement passed the House of Representatives unanimously March 4. While the bill -- the Taiwan Allies International Protection and Enhancement Initiative (TAIPEI) Act -- already passed the Senate, the Senate needs to vote again to send it to the president's desk because the bill language was not identical between the two chambers. “It is the sense of Congress that the United States should engage in bilateral trade negotiations with Taiwan, with the goal of entering into a free trade agreement that is of mutual economic benefit and that protects United States workers and benefits United States exporters,” the bill says.
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That direction is not binding on the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. The bill was sponsored by Sen. Cory Gardner, R-Colo., and Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., in the Senate, and by Rep. John Curtis, R-Utah, and Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, D-Texas, in the House. In a press release noting the vote, Curtis said, “I’m proud to see today’s unanimous passage of my bill, the TAIPEI Act, which strengthens Taiwan’s position in the world by promoting free trade negotiations, supporting Taiwan’s participation in international organizations, and protecting its relations with its allies.”