Taiwan legislative delegation heads to Washington to seek tariff talks

Taoyuan, April 28 (CNA) Deputy Legislative Speaker Johnny Chiang (江啟臣) of the opposition Kuomintang (KMT) departed for Washington D.C. on Sunday at the head of a legislative delegation, on what he said was a trip aimed at seeking mutual benefits and lower tariffs on Taiwanese imports to the United States.

Before his departure from Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport around 9:30 p.m. Sunday, Chiang told reporters that the trip was mainly about parliamentary diplomacy.

However, compared to the past, the visit is special in terms of significance, goals and timing, given the current pressure on various countries as a result of the "reciprocal" tariffs proposed by U.S. President Donald Trump in early April, according to Chiang.

The legislative deputy speaker said that he and his delegation hope to achieve mutually beneficial goals, and in particular, engage in discussions on lower tariffs on Taiwanese imports to the U.S.

He also expressed the hope that the calculation of the bilateral trade balance would take into account not just Taiwan's arms procurement, but also other purchases from the U.S.

Given the complementary economic and trade relationship between Taiwan and the U.S., there are many areas for cooperation between industries on the two sides, he said.

Taiwan's government and business sectors are hoping that trade talks with the U.S. can be held soon, he said, adding that apart from arms purchases from the U.S., there is ample room for bilateral cooperation on national defense and security.

The visit comes in the wake of Trump's announcement on April 9 of a 90-day suspension of the "reciprocal" tariffs he had imposed days earlier and his statement that the U.S. would hold negotiations with various countries during the 90-day pause.

Chiang's seven-member delegation, which includes lawmakers Chang Chih-lun (張智倫) and Huang Chien-hao (黃健豪) of the KMT, Lin Yi-chun (林憶君) of the smaller opposition Taiwan People's Party, and Wang Ting-yu (王定宇) of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party, will start its official agenda on Tuesday.

The agenda includes meetings with members of the U.S. Congress, talks with other government officials, and discussions with think tanks that have influence on the U.S. government, Wang told reporters.

Those talks will focus on Taiwan security issues, including Taiwan's importance in the first island chain in the Indo Pacific and Taiwan's increase in its national defense budget, Wang said.