Taiwan prioritized by U.S. for tariff talks: Lawmaker delegation

Washington, May 2 (CNA) Taiwan is among the first four countries that the United States will negotiate with on the tariffs it wants to impose, according to Wang Ting-yu (王定宇), a member of a visiting delegation of Taiwanese lawmakers in Washington D.C.

At a press event on Friday in D.C., Wang of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said that the other prioritized countries mentioned by the U.S. for trade negotiations this week include Japan, South Korea and Vietnam.

He added that during the delegation's meeting with U.S. officials, the U.S. side assured him that Taiwan would not be an object of negotiation with other countries and that "Taiwan is irreplaceable."

The two sides also talked about issues including China's gray zone tactics and U.S.-Taiwan arms sales, Wang said.

U.S. officials also explained the transfer of their focus onto the Indo-Pacific region, he added.

Deputy Legislative Speaker Johnny Chiang (江啟臣) of the opposition Kuomintang (KMT), who led the delegation, told the press that it has expressed the concerns of Taiwan's industries and the losses that may be incurred on both sides due to current trade uncertainty.

He also expressed hopes to U.S. officials that arms purchases can be counted in trade numbers between Taiwan and the U.S., which can help with the trade balance.

He pointed out that the investments and purchases between the two sides are not merely trade numbers for Taiwan-U.S. ties. U.S. officials have also noted their relationship in terms of safety and politics, as well as Taiwan's significance in high technologies, semiconductors and security, according to Chiang.

"[They] will not just regard Taiwan-U.S. ties in terms of trade or Taiwan's handling of tariff policies," Chiang said.

However, Chiu Yi-ying (邱議瑩) of the DPP said that the U.S. worried whether Taiwan had a big enough budget to buy more U.S. weapons for self-defense, expressing hopes that the Legislature can revisit relevant budget freezes and cuts.

Chiang said the Legislature needs to approve special and defense budgets and that careful thought needs to be given to utilizing increased defense budgets in the most advantageous way.

The delegation, which also 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 Ngalim Tiunn (張雅琳) of the DPP, set out for D.C. on April 28 Taiwan time, and is expected to end their visit on Friday D.C. time.

They have visited the Department of Commerce, the intelligence, foreign affairs, and armed services committees of Congress, the U.S.-Taiwan Business Council, the think tank Heritage Foundation, the social media company Meta, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and former AIT Chair Laura Rosenberger.