Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Lisa McClain (R-MI) led a letter to President Biden urging his administration to pursue a formal free trade agreement with Taiwan. 22 of her colleagues joined McClain’s letter.

“A free trade agreement with Taiwan would not only open up new opportunities for Michigan’s manufacturing and agriculture industries, it would also allow Taiwan to become less reliant on Communist China,” said Rep. McClain. “A free trade agreement with Taiwan would show our allies in the region that the United States is committed to working with our partners in the Indo-Pacific region to counter the Chinese Communist Party’s growing influence and territorial advances. We must show our allies that they are not alone in that fight.”

The following members of Congress signed the letter: Reps. John Curtis (R-UT), Ashley Hinson (R-IA), Ralph Norman (R-SC), Adam Kinzinger (R-IL), Randy Feenstra (R-IA), Young Kim (R-CA), Matt Gaetz (R-FL), Kat Cammack (R-FL), Burgess Owens (R-UT), Rick Crawford (R-AR), Claudia Tenney (R-NY), Scott Franklin (R-FL), Barry Moore (R-AL), Elise Stefanik (R-NY), Jeff Van Drew (R-NJ), John Rutherford (R-FL), Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA), Bruce Westerman (R-AR), Stephanie Bice (R-OK), Carlos Gimenez (R-FL), Tom Emmer (R-MN) and Tracey Mann (R-KS).

The letter to President Biden is available here. The full text is below.

 

March 22, 2021

The Honorable Joseph R. Biden

President of the United States

The White House

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW

Washington, D.C. 20500

Dear President Biden,

We write to you today requesting your administration pursue, and ultimately submit for Senate approval, a formal free trade agreement with the nation of Taiwan under the US-Taiwan Trade and Investment Framework Agreement. Ever since the passage of the Taiwan Relations Act in 1979, this democratic nation has been a steadfast ally in our fight against the expansion of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) influence and military power in South East Asia.

A formal free trade agreement with Taiwan would bring significant economic benefits for both our nations. Taiwan is already among the United States’ top trading partners. In 2020 alone, the United States exported over $68 billion[1] in goods to Taiwan. A free trade agreement would open even more opportunities for our manufactures and farmers. The United States would have better access to Taiwanese food and energy sectors and see improved protection for our businesses’ intellectual property rights. Taiwan is the United States’ 13^th largest export partner and 6^th largest agricultural export market. In 2019, the U.S. exported $3.6 billion[2] in agriculture products and $11 billion[3] overall.

Taiwan is also a fertile investment opportunity for many of our businesses in the technology sector. Taiwan has rapidly become one of the premier electronics manufacturing hubs in the world. Taiwanese firms account for at least 48 percent[4] of total semiconductor fabrication globally. These companies are looking to expand, invest, and utilize the untapped workforce of the United States. We applauded when Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., one of the world’s largest electronics manufacturers, announced that it would be constructing a production facility here in the United States[5]. The billions of dollars in investment will not only create thousands of good-paying, middle-class jobs, but significant indirect investment will follow. This one example could be reproduced across our nation if the United States and Taiwan had a free trade agreement.

The security that a trade agreement would bring is as critical as the economic benefits one would foster. China has quickly become the greatest threat to not only the U.S. but all our allies around the world. For decades, Taiwan has been forced to rely on investments from China for their economic growth. More than $185 billion[6] has been invested from mainland China entities over the past several years. We have seen how the CCP uses economic investment to expand its influence. The Belt and Road Initiative is one example of how the CCP plans to curry favor with poorer or weaker nations. A free trade agreement with Taiwan would allow the United States to begin countering CCP’s economic influence in the Indo-Pacific region.

By enacting a trade agreement with Taiwan, the United States would demonstrate to our Indo-Pacific allies that we are invested in their security and prosperity. While China continues to harass our partners through their territorial claims, a United States economic commitment to complement our military presence would pay significant dividends. Our allies could grow emboldened and begin a multilateral effort to resist and turn back the CCP.

As your administration continues to work towards building trading relationships with nation’s around the world, we implore you to begin formal negotiations on a free trade agreement with Taiwan. Our economy, national security, and our nation’s future depends on it.

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