Taiwan, U.S. hold sixth Economic Prosperity Partnership Dialogue

Washington, Jan. 27 (CNA) Officials from Taiwan and the United States held a sixth round of talks under the Economic Prosperity Partnership Dialogue (EPPD) in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday and signed a pact agreeing to the principles of "Pax Silica."

The meeting was led on the U.S. side by Jacob Helberg, undersecretary of state for economic affairs, while Taiwan was represented by Economics Minister Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫), the U.S. State Department said in a statement.

The talks covered topics that included supply chain security, particularly in the field of AI, as well as cooperation on unmanned aircraft system component certification, support for trusted digital infrastructure, and cooperation on critical minerals, the statement said.

Discussions also focused on "highlighting progress in responding to economic coercion, pursuing mutual cooperation in third countries, and addressing tax-related barriers to increase investment between the United States and Taiwan," the State Department said.

Taiwan and U.S. representatives also signed a joint statement endorsing the principles of the Pax Silica Declaration, the statement said.

"Pax Silica" is a U.S.-led initiative focused on coordinating trusted supply chains for advanced technologies, whose initial eight signatories (now 11) did not include Taiwan, the world's leading producer of advanced semiconductors.

Upon its launch last month, Helberg said Taiwan had been involved and made contributions to the initiative, and that planners expected to roll out "several new members" in the first quarter of 2026.

"Give us a little bit of room to let sensitive conversations unfold on a bilateral basis," Helberg told a Taiwan-based reporter at the time, who asked if there was a pathway for Taiwan to be brought in as a full participant.

Asked on Tuesday for an update on Taiwan's potential membership, Helberg told CNA the signing of a joint statement was a "major milestone," but did not provide a timeframe for entry.

The EPPD framework was launched in November 2020 near the end of U.S. President Donald Trump's first term, and continued during the administration of Joe Biden.

Tuesday marked the sixth set of meetings under the EPPD framework, and the first since Trump returned to office in January 2025.