TAIWAN VICE PREMIER ON BILATERAL TRADE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 TAIPEI 000091 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE PASS USTR STATE FOR EAP/TC, USTR FOR STRATFORD AND ALTBACH TREASURY FOR OASIA/LMOGHTADER E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/12/2010 TAGS: ETRD ECON PREL TW SUBJECT: TAIWAN VICE PREMIER ON BILATERAL TRADE REF: A. TAIPEI 63 ¶B. TAIPEI 49 ¶C. 2005 TAIPEI 4187 Classified By: AIT DIRECTOR STEPHEN YOUNG FOR REASONS 1.5 (b),(c) ¶1. (C) Summary: Vice Premier Tsai told AIT Director Young January 12 she is focused on managing the financial crisis resulting from a run on a local bank and criminal investigations into the collapse of a large local conglomerate. The Director reaffirmed U.S. interest in advancing bilateral trade issues through the TIFA process and in sending more high-level visitors to Taiwan in 2007. Tsai welcomed more visitors from the U.S. and reiterated Taiwan's interest in working with the U.S. to reinvigorate the Doha Round. Tsai said Taiwan remains committed to enhancing its export control regime and continues to work on enhancing cross-Strait economic ties, but needs Beijing to also work on this issue. End Summary. ¶2. (U) On January 12, AIT Director Young met with Vice Premier TSAI Ing-wen to discuss bilateral trade and other economic issues. The Director was accompanied by Deputy Director Wang and Econ Chief. Tsai was accompanied by her chief of Staff, Chang Hsieng-huei. Jittery Financial Sector -------------- ¶3. (C) Tsai had briefly delayed the scheduled meeting because she was deeply involved in emergency deliberations concerning the Chen Administration's handling of the recent run on Chinese (Zhonghua) Bank (CB) and a growing investigation into financial improprieties of the China Rebar Pacific Group (CRPG) (refs A and B). Tsai said she and her financial regulators are focused on making sure the problems of CB and CRPG do not expand and affect the six or so vulnerable banks in Taiwan that have been considered "shaky" since the 2001 Taiwan banking crisis. She said the situation is difficult right now, particularly because of the intense media focus and the tough political environment. Nevertheless, looking on the bright side, Tsai indicated this crisis could be an opportunity to push ahead with cleaning up the financial mess left from the banking crisis. She said conditions had recently improved because both foreign and domestic buyers are interested in entering Taiwan's banking market. These vulnerable banks could now be seen as a 
desirable purchase. Tsai said the Administration is currently considering amending existing laws to provide additional assets to stabilize vulnerable banks. (See ref c for reporting on Taiwan's financial sector reform.) Trade Agenda -------------- ¶4. (C) The Director said he had met in Washington with Deputy USTR Bhatia just as AUSTR Tim Stratford was concluding his Taipei visit. Bhatia confirmed his desire to actively pursue the agenda under the Trade and Investment Framework (TIFA) and to visit Taiwan again in 2007. The Director also said he had met with Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns and found the Secretary to be an old friend of Taiwan's from his days as Governor of Nebraska. In the immediate future, we are looking to finalize the text of the Consultative Committee on Agriculture (CCA) and have an inaugural session with a senior official from USDA visiting Taiwan to meet with Council of Agriculture (COA) Chairman Su. Tsai indicated she was familiar with the CCA text and expressed her view that it would be finalized shortly. She would welcome a visit from USDA officials and a return trip by Bhatia. Tsai observed that the Chen Administration will have to notify the CCA to the Legislative Yuan (LY) but that no LY concurrence will be required. She speculated that LY members may well use the notification of the CCA as a platform to complain about government policy. (Note: AIT/T AGR confirmed the same day that the Department of Health and COA had earlier received instructions from Tsai to get together and resolve any TAIPEI 00000091 002 OF 003 differences over the text of the CCA. End Note.) ¶5. (C) Sometime after the inaugural meeting of the CCA, the Director said he believes USTR would want to hold the 2007 TIFA Council meeting, but that precise timing remains uncertain. The U.S. side wants to work closely with Taiwan to address and resolve the outstanding TIFA issues, including Taiwan's import regime for rice. The U.S. is committed to working with Taiwan should any member of the World Trade Organization (WTO) object to Taiwan's regime. Finally, the Director noted Secretary Johanns emphasized the importance constantly placed by President Bush on restarting and reinvigorating the Doha Development Round in the WTO. We urged Taiwan's best efforts in this process. Tsai quickly responded she had discussed this issue with AUSTR Stratford in December and was looking forward to suggestions from the U.S. on how best Taiwan and the U.S. could cooperate on reinvigorating the Doha Round. She recalled that she suggested to Stratford that USTR's Dorothy Dwoskin could be very helpful in making specific suggestions. She noted she had received a report from John Deng, Deputy in the Taipei Economic and Cultural Relations office (TECRO),about a meeting with USTR where the topic was raised, but that it contained no specifics on how to push ahead on Doha. Export Controls -------------- ¶6. (C) The Director said he is pleased with the cooperation from Taiwan on implementing a variety of programs on export controls. This remains a key concern of top American policy makers. He emphasized the need for a comprehensive approach from Taiwan that involved all relevant agencies cooperating, including the National Security Bureau, the Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau, the Board of Foreign Trade, the Customs Service and more. He noted it would be important to avoid "stovepiping." He told Tsai that the U.S. Department of Energy has a team in Kaohsiung now and is looking to put the Megaports Program into operation this year; we will launch a series of Export Control and Border Security training programs on January 22; and the Container Security Initiative (CSI) will shortly move into its renovated office in Keelung. Tsai jotted down a note saying the U.S. was pleased with Taiwan's cooperation on export controls. She said Taiwan welcomes the increased security cooperation with the U.S. and suggested that the programs had had a beneficial effect on security in other ports in Taiwan. (Note: BOFT officials have separately told AIT/T that CSI has contributed to increased security in Taiwan's ports outside of Kaohsiung and Keelung. End note.) ¶7. (C) Tsai said one issue involving CSI is the amount of time it takes for goods to clear customs. She said Taiwan is trying to establish Free Trade Zones in Kaohsiung and other ports and rapid Customs clearance is a major factor in such endeavors. The Deputy Director responded that while CSI does take some additional time, even if only a matter of seconds, having the CSI process done in Kaohsiung saves much more time for clearance of the goods when they arrive at a U.S. port. Tsai said that was very useful information and time saved at SIPDIS U.S. ports would be a significant factor. She believed that this was an issue that could be solved technically. The Director said AIT would take any delays as a serious issue and would check into it. Cross-Straits & AmCham -------------- ¶8. (C) The Deputy Director noted the new American Chamber of Commerce in Taipei President, Jane Hwang of State Street Bank, met recently with the Director and noted a prime concern of AmCham would be cross-Strait relations. The Vice Premier said she would always be happy to meet with AmCham to discuss commercial issues like cross-Straits exchanges. The Director said U.S. firms would, of course, like to have access to any direct cross-Strait flights available to Taiwan or Chinese residents. Tsai acknowledged foreigners' clear TAIPEI 00000091 003 OF 003 interest in such access, saying AmCham should raise this issue in Beijing as well as Taipei. (Comment: Left unsaid was Tsai's -- and Premier Su Tseng-chang's and Mainland Affairs Council Chair Joseph Wu's -- repeated statements that Beijing is the party unwilling to come to terms on cross-Strait flights or tourism. End Comment.) The Director also noted the desirability of third-party carriers also participating in cross-Strait flights. COMMENT -------------- ¶9. (C) Though somewhat distracted by the crisis of the day, Tsai clearly remains engaged and supportive of strengthened SIPDIS U.S.-Taiwan economic cooperation and is ready to work with us on CCA and other TIFA agenda items. Of pressing note: FTA never came up. This is probably more because the Taiwan side realized this is not a realistic topic of discussion until Congress considers extension of fast-track authority than that our friends here have fallen off their enthusiasm for the subject. End Comment. YOUNG