On February 12 (Eastern Standard Time), Vice Premier Cheng Li-chiun and Yang Jen-ni, Chief Trade Representative at the Executive Yuan's Office of Trade Negotiations, led Taiwan's negotiating delegation—including representatives from the Ministry of Economic Affairs, the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Health and Welfare—to Washington, D.C., where they reached a consensus with the U.S. delegation led by U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer on an Agreement on Reciprocal Trade (ART) between Taiwan and the United States. U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick joined the two sides in witnessing the signing of the ART by Ambassador Alexander Tah-Ray Yui of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States (TECRO) and Managing Director Ingrid D. Larson of the Washington Office of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT).
The signing of the ART follows the January 15 culmination meeting on tariff negotiations and the signing of a Taiwan-U.S. Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on investment with the U.S. Department of Commerce. The ART includes sections on tariffs, non-tariff barriers, digital trade, economic security and commercial opportunities. Together, the ART and MOU formally establish Taiwan's most preferential tariff treatment with respect to reciprocal tariffs and tariffs imposed under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962. Moving forward, the Executive Yuan will promptly submit the ART, together with the MOU, to the Legislative Yuan for deliberation in accordance with the Conclusion of Treaties Act, and will seek the Legislature's support to pave the way for a new chapter in the Taiwan-U.S. strategic economic and trade partnership.
The Executive Yuan's Taiwan-U.S. Economic and Trade Task Force stated that, following several months of bilateral talks, Taiwan's negotiating team has achieved six major objectives:
(1) Obtaining most preferential treatment for reciprocal tariffs and Section 232 tariffs, thereby strengthening the international competitiveness of Taiwan's industries.
(2) Ensuring food security and defense industrial resilience.
(3) Protecting public health through scientific evidence-based alignment with international standards.
(4) Enhancing the Taiwan-U.S. economic and trade framework to create a more friendly and transparent environment for business.
(5) Advancing cooperation on economic security and building trusted industrial supply chains.
(6) Expanding two-way investment to solidify a Taiwan-U.S. high-tech strategic partnership.
The Task Force emphasized that, beyond promoting balanced trade and establishing a mutually beneficial economic framework, the ART will also foster a Taiwan-U.S. high-tech strategic partnership centered on technological innovation, supply chain resilience and economic security. By shaping a new Taiwan-U.S. supply chain configuration, the ART will help to ensure the technological leadership, economic prosperity and peaceful stability of democratic nations.