2024 presidential elections in US, Taiwan could help spur trade deal, says former State Department official

Washington and Taipei should produce “building blocks” through the US-Taiwan Initiative on 21st-Century Trade for a bilateral trade deal before the countries’ next presidential elections, a former US State Department official had said recently.

Christian Castro, who was head of Taiwan affairs at the State Department during Barack Obama’s presidency, said the administrations of US President Joe Biden and Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen should produce “deliverables” from the latest trade framework to pave way for a bilateral agreement. Both the US and Taiwan have presidential elections in 2024.