November 21, 2019
Dear CEO:
On behalf of the Departments of Commerce, Agriculture, 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 eleventh-largest trading partner and ninth-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 seventh-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 Taiwan Relations Act (TRA) and the three U.S.-China Joint Communiqués have enabled our unofficial relationship with Taiwan to flourish, while simultaneously allowing the United States to maintain an active official relationship with the People’s Republic of China.
Although cross-Strait relations can be sensitive, the U.S. Government’s 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 and has publicly expressed our position that no government should impose political standards on how companies present information to their customers.
We have attached information about the U.S.-Taiwan unofficial relationship as well as contact information for State Department office that handles these issues and a link for the American Institute in Taiwan, the private, non-profit corporation established pursuant to the TRA to carry out the unofficial relationship. Taiwan is a vital U.S. partner, and we hope that you will fully take advantage of all the opportunities Taiwan offers as a result of our shared values and robust relationship.
Sincerely,
David Stilwell
Assistant Secretary
Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs
U.S. Department of State
Ken Isley
Administrator
Foreign Agricultural Service
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Ian Steff
Assistant Secretary for Global Markets and Director General of the U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service
U.S. Department of Commerce
