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Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL), Bob Menendez (D-NJ), and Jim Risch (R-ID) sent a letter to President Joe Biden regarding the administration’s potential inclusion of Taiwan as a partner in the proposed Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF). In addition to recognizing Taiwan’s importance to the United States as a significant trading partner, the senators underscored that failing to include Taiwan in IPEF runs counter to U.S. economic and national security interests in the region.
“IPEF can be a meaningful first step for the United States to assure its allies and partners that we are economically engaged in the region, which accounts for sixty percent of the world economy and two-thirds of all economic growth over the last five years. For IPEF to be a useful vehicle to advance a free and open Indo-Pacific, however, we must make sure that all of America’s regional allies and partners are included,” the senators wrote. “This is just one necessary aspect to ensuring the framework is competitive in a region already saturated with economic treaties and agendas.”
“The more economic engagement U.S. and allies and partners have with Taiwan, the stronger our collective resilience against coercion,” the senators continued. “Russia’s invasion of Ukraine shows the value of tangible economic support by the United States and like-minded allies and partners, and the same is true for Taiwan. Including Taiwan in the IPEF would be an invaluable signal of our rock-solid commitment to Taiwan and its prosperity and freedom.”
Click here for a full list of signers.
The full text of the letter is below.
Dear Mr. President:
As Congress focuses on boosting the United States’ ability to compete effectively with China, we are glad the administration is advancing components of its Indo-Pacific strategy. However, we remain concerned that Taiwan will not be included in the proposed Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF).
IPEF can be a meaningful first step for the United States to assure its allies and partners that we are economically engaged in the region, which accounts for 60 percent of the world economy and two-thirds of all economic growth over the last five years. For IPEF to be a useful vehicle to advance a free and open Indo-Pacific, however, we must make sure that all of America’s regional allies and partners are included. This is just one necessary aspect to ensure the framework is competitive and effective in shaping regional trade and economic architecture consistent with our interests and values, especially in a region that already has numerous current and proposed trade and economic structures.
As you consult with prospective IPEF partners, we urge you to include Taiwan. Taiwan has long been an important trading partner of the United States, with $114 billion in two-way trade in 2021. Taiwan is a major hub of the global supply in electronics, computers, and information and communication technologies, and has served a critical role in diversifying the U.S. supply chain. Since 2020, Taiwan and the United States have engaged in the U.S.-Taiwan Economic Prosperity Partnership Dialogue, covering a broad range of economic issues including 5G networks and telecommunications security, supply chains resiliency, infrastructure cooperation, clean energy, global heath, and science and technology — many of the same issues to be addressed by the proposed IPEF.
Excluding Taiwan from IPEF would significantly distort the regional and global economic architecture, run counter to U.S. economic interests, and allow the Chinese government to claim that the international community does not in fact support meaningful engagement with Taiwan.
It is also critical for U.S. security interests that Taiwan is embedded in the region’s economic architecture. The more economic engagement the United States and allies and partners have with Taiwan, the stronger our collective resilience against coercion. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine shows the value of tangible economic support by thc and like-minded allies and partners, and the same is true for Taiwan. Including Taiwan in the IPEF would be an invaluable signal of our rock-solid commitment to Taiwan and its prosperity and freedom.
We ask that the administration engage with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the Senate Finance Committee on this issue, including a briefing on Taiwan’s status in IPEF, our economic engagement with Taiwan since January 2021, the extent to which bolstering its economic resilience is part of our broader security policy with respect to Taiwan, and any tangible economic goals we are pursuing with Taiwan.
We appreciate your attention to this important issue and look forward to your response.
Sincerely,