TPP lawmakers lament US trade framework snubBy Chung Li-hua and William Hetherington / Staff reporter, with staff writerThe government must not describe those who scrutinize its foreign relations as “looking down on Taiwan,” as the nation’s diplomatic predicament is “a plain fact and clear to everyone,” Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Legislator Chiu Chen-yuan (邱臣遠) said yesterday. “Taiwanese were shocked by the news that Taiwan was left out” of the US-led Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF), Chiu told a news conference in Taipei after the membership of the framework was announced. “Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) had told the legislature that in principle, Taiwan was likely to be included,” Chiu said. “President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) also spoke of ‘rock solid’ ties with the US.”From left, Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) legislators Tsai Pi-ru and Chiu Chen-yuan, and TPP New Taipei City councilor candidate Chang Kai-chun attend a news conference in Taipei yesterday. The government would still negotiate with the US about other ways Taiwan could meaningfully participate in the trade framework, and on the possibility that Taiwan and US could work out a bilateral trade agreement, Chiu said.
