Columbia International Affairs Online: Policy Briefs

CIAO DATE: 07/2008

Taiwan's Time

Claude Barfield

May 2008

American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research

Abstract

Resident scholar Claude Barfield asserts that President George W. Bush should uphold the U.S. commitment to democratic regimes by engaging in formal negotiations for a free trade agreement (FTA) with Taiwan. Though such an action would be in defiance of China's policy toward Taiwan, a U.S.-Taiwan FTA would create significant benefits by advancing American interests and giving Taiwan an opportunity to thrive and compete in an increasingly integrated East Asian region.