TIFA talks can be broken down into parts: Wu

Taiwan and the U.S. can resume the long-stalled TIFA talks topic by topic if the two sides have problems reaching consensus on certain issues, Wu said during a function to mark International Migrants Day in Taipei.

The U.S. is close to signing a free trade agreement (FTA) with South Korea and the premier was asked by a reporter how Taiwan will face the issue of a U.S.-South Korea FTA.

The signing of such an FTA will mean that South Korea — Taiwan's major rival in the global market — will be in a better position to compete against Taiwan.

Wu responded that South Korea was alarmed and felt pressure after Taiwan concluded the landmark Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) with China earlier this year.

The signing of a U.S.-South Korea FTA, therefore, would also cause Taiwan to feel pressured, the premier said.

Most importantly, Taiwan should take the approach that is most conducive to protecting the people's interests when restarting the TIFA talks with the U.S., he said.

Also addressing the issue, Foreign Minister Timothy C.T. Yang reassured the public that the TIFA talks will certainly take place before the end of the year, albeit a bit later than expected.

“Just sitting at the negotiating table is easier than working out an agenda and sorting out barriers beforehand,” Yang said.

The new round of TIFA talks will most likely take place in Taipei, according to the foreign minister.

The TIFA framework, signed in September 1994, provides an official channel for Taiwan-U.S. dialogue on trade and economic issues, but the two sides have not held any talks since 2007 due mainly to conflict over a Taiwanese ban on U.S. beef imports.

Meanwhile, on the prospects of the U.S. granting Taiwanese passport holders visa-free treatment, Yang said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) has been working toward that goal, but so far, “there is no timetable for its implementation.”

The MOFA has recently launched a trial drive to get more Taiwanese citizens to apply for their passports in person, as part of efforts to persuade the U.S. to grant Taiwanese passport holders visa-free treatment, according to Yang.

The U.S. wants Taiwan to increase the percentage of in-person passport applications and to make applicants have their ID photographs taken when they apply, on the grounds that Taiwanese passports are easily misused at present because applicants do not need to present themselves in person for positive identification.

From January 2011, at least one household registration office in each city and county will be opened to in-person passport applications on a trial basis, Yang said.

He quoted the results of a recent opinion poll as indicating that nearly 90 percent of Taiwanese citizens are prepared to visit household registration offices in person to file their passport applications if the move is conducive to the U.S. visa-waiver policy.

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