Taiwan plans to raise TIFA issue with U.S.: official

"Given the close economic relations between the two sides, Taiwan hopes to discuss many bilateral trade issues with the United States, including the TIFA talks, " said Huang Chih-peng, director-general of the Bureau of Foreign Trade under Taiwan's Ministry of Economic Affairs.

Huang is in Singapore to represent Taiwan at a two-day senior officials meeting that marks the start of the annual APEC Leaders' Week activities.

In the absence of formal diplomatic ties, the TIFA talks have become the most important channel for Taiwan-U.S. dialogue on trade and economic issues.

The TIFA talks are usually hosted alternatively by Taiwan and the United States on an annual basis. However, they have been suspended since 2007 because of differences between the two sides on various issues, particularly Taiwan's ban on U.S. beef imports.

Following Taiwan's decision earlier this month to ease restrictions on U.S. beef imports, there have been reports that it will push for resumption of the TIFA talks.

Asked whether Minister of Economic Affairs Shih Yen-hsiang will bring up the TIFA issue with the U.S. representative at the APEC ministerial meeting that will follow the senior officials' meeting, Huang said, "That's right, he will come up with a proposal" for resuming TIFA talks.

Huang also said, in response to a question, that Taiwan's representatives will not take the initiative to bring up issues regarding beef imports in their talks with their U.S. counterparts on the APEC sidelines.

Taiwan's recent lifting of a ban on U.S. bone-in beef and beef products from cattle younger than 30 months has drawn flak at home, and local governments have been threatening to boycott U.S. beef.

Touching on a proposal that Taiwan renegotiate the beef trade issue with the United States, Huang said that beef importation is a bilateral issue and he cannot make any forecasts about related problems that might develop.

The APEC senior officials meeting that began Sunday will prepare the agenda and documents for the subsequent ministerial and leaders' meetings of the 21-member regional economic forum.

Taiwan's President Ma Ying-jeou has designated former Vice President Lien Chan to attend the Nov.14-15 APEC leadership summit on his behalf, which will focus on the theme of "Sustaining Growth, Connecting the Region."

This will be the second consecutive year that Lien, who is an honorary chairman of the governing Kuomintang, is representing Taiwan at the APEC leaders summit.

Lien also attended last year's summit held in Peru, which made him the highest-ranking former Republic of China official ever allowed to take part in the annual summit.

In 1991, Taiwan gained full membership in APEC, one of the few major international organizations that admitted both Taiwan and China. Taiwan's presidents, however, have never attended the summit meetings in person as a result of pressure from Beijing, but instead have named special envoys to the meeting on their behalf.

U.S. President Barack Obama, Chinese President Hu Jintao and Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama are scheduled to deliver speeches at this year's summit.

Lien is expected to hold bilateral or multilateral talks with foreign leaders on the sidelines of the APEC summit.

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