On November 9, 2022, US-Taiwan Business Council President Rupert Hammond-Chambers spoke on Taiwan’s expanding economic and trade ties with Europe and the United States at “The Taiwan Trilateral Forum,” an event hosted by The German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF), in Brussels, Belgium.

The United States and Taiwan announced this summer that they will begin formal negotiations on the bilateral U.S.-Taiwan Initiative on 21st-Century Trade this fall. Across the Atlantic, EU-Taiwan economic ties have also been strengthening. In June, an elevated version of the annual EU-Taiwan Trade and Investment Dialogue was held in Brussels, and last fall, the European Parliament adopted a resolution, which among other points supports a bilateral investment agreement with Taiwan.

What can be achieved in these U.S.-Taiwan and EU-Taiwan mechanisms and within what time-frame? How far can Taiwan be included in wider European and U.S. economic initiatives, especially as the two sides extend their “trade and technology” coordination with other partners? Is an investment agreement between Brussels and Taipei on the horizon? What opportunities are there for trilateral cooperation and what challenges are currently hindering progress?

The Council thanks The German Marshall Fund for the opportunity to participate in this important event.