The U.S. and Taiwan, under the auspices of the American Institute in Taiwan and the Taipei Economic & Cultural Representative Office in the U.S., have reached a trade agreement that will facilitate “expansion and growth to U.S. manufacturing through substantial tariff reductions, removal of non-tariff barriers, investments and procurement in key sectors and products,” the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative said in a fact sheet.
Under the agreement, Taiwan will eliminate or reduce 99% of tariff barriers and provide preferential market access for U.S. vehicles and parts, chemicals, machinery, seafood, medical devices, pharmaceuticals, electrical products, metals and minerals and other industrial exports.
For agricultural products, Taiwan will provide preferential market access for U.S. exports of horticultural products, wheat, beef, pork and dairy products, lamb and sheep meat, tree nuts, pet food and more. It has committed to resolve and prevent non-tariff barriers to U.S. beef, pork, poultry and processing potatoes and agreed to work with the U.S. to complete the regulatory process to allow bison meat into Taiwan.
The country will ensure that its sanitary and phytosanitary measures are science and risk based and will remove nonscientific SPS measures and other non-tariff barriers that impede trade.
The agreement commits Taiwan to aligning its animal health measures with the World Organization for Animal Health, recognizing the U.S. protection zone for African swine fever, recognizing America’s negligible risk status for bovine spongiform encephalopathy and limiting any future import restrictions due to highly pathogenic avian influenza outbreaks to the county level rather than the state level.
Taiwan also agreed to maintain or adopt maximum residue limits for ractopamine that align with Codex international standards (90 parts per billion) for imports of beef, pork and offal products.
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