WASHINGTON — Senior Taiwanese officials are travelling to Washington to advance talks on reducing US tariffs on the island's exports and a possible investment deal, a person familiar with the matter said on Wednesday (Jan 14).
Taiwan's vice premier Cheng Li-chiun and trade envoy Yang Jen-ni are expected in Washington by Thursday for meetings with Trump administration officials, the source told Reuters.
Two people familiar with the matter said an announcement could come by the end of the month.
Taiwan aims to cut tariffs on its exports to the US to 15 per cent from 20 per cent, the government said in December.
Taipei said on Tuesday it had reached a "broad consensus" with Washington on the talks and was discussing a timetable for a concluding meeting. It did not comment on the meetings in Washington.
The White House did not respond to a request for comment on the meetings in Washington, which were first reported by Bloomberg News. It was not immediately clear which US officials would take part.
A major semiconductor producer, Taiwan has said its offer to the US included help in replicating the island's success in building tech clusters around dedicated science parks.
Under the deal, it is expected that chipmaker TSMC would commit to building more facilities in Arizona, according to one of the people.
TSMC has declined to comment on whether it would invest more in the US on top of the US$165 billion (S$212 billion) that it has already pledged.
Taiwan's chips are not subject to the US tariffs.
China views democratically governed Taiwan as its own, and Beijing has never renounced the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control. Taiwan rejects Beijing's claims.
The United States has no formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan, but Washington is the island's most important international backer and is required by law to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself. The issue has been an irritant in US-China relations for years.
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