TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The American Chamber of Commerce in Taiwan (AmCham) at a press conference for the release of its 2022 Taiwan White Paper on Wednesday (June 22), urged Taiwan to assure a stable energy environment, bring in more foreign talent, reopen the border to revive business, and more aggressively pursue trade deals as the nation has been receiving unprecedented attention and support from the international community.
AmCham President Andrew Wylegala emphasized the paper's alignment with the U.S-Taiwan Initiative on 21st-Century Trade, which was announced at the beginning of this month. He appealed to Taiwan to "step up" and reform the business climate and seize this golden opportunity to start BTA (bilateral trade agreement) talks with Washington.
Vice-chairperson Andrea Wu echoed that a BTA between the two sides is the most important step to bolster the U.S-Taiwan trade relationship, adding that trade talks should be legislated and launched this year while Taiwan is now backed by bipartisan support in the U.S. Congress. The paper also reinforced AmCham's longstanding calls for a U.S.-Taiwan double taxation agreement, she added.
The paper also suggested a bilateral semiconductor supply-chain agreement and the passage of the America Competes Act and Taiwan Fellowship Act to further expand the relationship between Taiwan and the U.S.
Wu also raised challenges the country is facing, including energy stability, talent shortage, and border control. She described the effects of the recent power outages, calling on Taiwan's government to stabilize the energy supply and meet the basic needs necessary to cultivate international talent.
"Taiwan's Gold Card scheme for foreign talent is well-designed but few people know about it," Wu said.
Taiwan should reopen the border under the premise of safety and reengaging business and reviving the economy, according to Wu.
Wu also mentioned that only five issues raised in the 2021 Taiwan White Paper had been resolved, seven fewer than the year before.