WASHINGTON –
Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Karan Bhatia will travel to Taipei, Taiwan, New
Delhi, India and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam May 24 to June 2 to advance the US
trade agenda.
"We have a very active trade agenda in this dynamic and rapidly growing
region," said Ambassador Bhatia. "With our recent bilateral market access
agreement with Vietnam, a vigorous trade discussion with India and our ongoing
engagement with Taiwan, we are demonstrating that we are eager to deepen our
relationship with our Asian neighbors." Taiwan
Ambassador Bhatia will lead an interagency delegation that will participate
in two-day meetings under the AIT-TECRO (American Institute in Taiwan - Taipei
Economic and Cultural Representative Office) Trade and Investment Framework
Agreement (TIFA). The TIFA was established in 1994 to resolve bilateral trade
issues and enhance economic cooperation. Discussions under the TIFA will cover a
wide range of important bilateral trade issues including agriculture,
enforcement of intellectual property rights, pharmaceuticals, and
telecommunications policy. This will be Ambassador Bhatia’s first trip to Taiwan
in his role as Deputy USTR; he will be the most senior US official to visit
Taiwan in six years. He will be accompanied by Assistant USTR for China Tim
Stratford. India
This will be Ambassador Bhatia’s third trip to India during his six months at
USTR. He will lead bilateral trade discussions under the Trade Policy Forum, a
trade dialogue mechanism created last July by President Bush and Prime Minister
Singh to enhance the trade and investment environment between the US and India.
He will be accompanied by Assistant USTR for South and Southwest Asia Ambassador
Doug Hartwick. Vietnam
This will be Ambassador Bhatia’s first trip to Vietnam where the Asia Pacific
Economic Cooperation (APEC) Trade Ministers will be meeting June 1-2. Founded in
1989, APEC is a vital engine for global trade and investment liberalization and
facilitation, and a driving force supporting the current WTO negotiations,
intellectual property initiatives, and efforts to promote high-quality FTAs in
the region. The Asia-Pacific region is critically important to the United
States, accounting for roughly one-third of U.S. global trade. Ambassador Bhatia
will be accompanied by Wendy Cutler, Assistant USTR for Japan, Korea, and APEC
Affairs. The U.S. recently reached agreement in principle on a bilateral market
access agreement with Vietnam, bringing this growing trading partner one step
closer to joining the WTO.
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