February 28, 2023
Dear CEO/Business Leader:
On behalf of the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, and State, we encourage you to help us strengthen trade and investment with Taiwan. We have received many inquiries about how private companies can work with Taiwan, and we hope this letter will answer some of those questions.
Taiwan is our eighth-largest trading partner and seventh-largest market for agricultural exports. Visitors from Taiwan are eligible for visa-free travel to the United States through the Visa Waiver Program and a streamlined arrivals process at U.S. airports under the Global Entry program. Taiwan is also the sixth-largest source of international students in the United States. We hope to continue to deepen our economic and cultural ties with Taiwan, and believe commercial engagement is key to such progress.
For decades, the U.S. government’s one China policy, guided by the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA), the three U.S.-China Joint Communiqués, and the Six Assurances, has enabled our unofficial relationship with Taiwan to flourish, while simultaneously allowing the United States to maintain diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China. The one China policy allows for commercial, cultural, and other engagement with Taiwan across a range of issues. Our Departments encourage this cooperation and stand ready to help navigate delicate issues. Taiwan plays a key role in the international trading system, and U.S. states and businesses have had robust ties with Taiwan for many decades. The U.S. government does not dictate how private companies choose to label Taiwan.
We have attached information about the U.S.-Taiwan unofficial relationship as well as contact information for the Department of State office that handles these issues and a link to the American Institute in Taiwan, the private, non-profit corporation established by the TRA to carry out the U.S. government’s unofficial relations with Taiwan. Taiwan is a vital U.S. partner, and we hope that you will fully take advantage of all the opportunities that our shared values and robust relationship with Taiwan offer. For questions, please contact the Department of State at eap-tc-office-dl@state.gov.
Sincerely,
Daniel Whitley
Administrator, Foreign Agricultural Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture
Arun Venkataraman
Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Global Markets, and Director General of the U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service
Daniel J. Kritenbrink
Assistant Secretary, Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, U.S. Department of State
Click here to download the letter: Letter on U.S.-Taiwan Relations to Businesses
About U.S-Taiwan Relations: US-TWN Relationship Attachment
