Don’t forget free trade deal

TAIPEI: Taiwan’s top trade negotiator appealed to the United States on Tuesday not to forget that the island wants a free trade deal but understands this will not happen immediately and is willing to make other agreements first as “building blocks”.

Taiwan has long campaigned for such a deal, in what would be a strong show of support for the Chinese-claimed island in the face of unrelenting diplomatic and military pressure from Beijing. It says it is a reliable partner for the United States with shared democratic values.

Taiwan and the United States last week announced a new US-Taiwan Initiative on 21st-Century Trade, which envisages new trade talks. read more

Taiwan’s top trade negotiator, John Deng, who goes to Washington at the end of the month for talks with senior US…