President Chen Shui-bian met with US-Taiwan Business Council Chairman William E. Brock on February 22, extending his warmest welcome and urging him to help sign a US-Taiwan free trade agreement as soon as possible.
Rupert J. Hammond-Chambers, president of the council, accompanied Chairman Brock to the visit.
President Chen pointed out that the US-Taiwan trade volume in 2005 reached US$59.6 billion, whose growth, however, was not significant. Therefore, since Taiwan is the eighth largest trading partner of the U.S., the president told Chairman Brock that he considered the signing of a free-trade agreement between the two countries urgent and important.
To reciprocate president Chen's welcome, Chairman Brock recalled his first visit to Taiwan while serving in the US navy. He told the president that he was impressed by Taiwan's progress in the past few decades and believed that the country had attested to the fact that democracy is undoubtedly feasible in Asia. While admitting China's pressure is unavoidable, Chairman Brock assured the president that the signing of the US-Taiwan free-trade agreement will nonetheless promote peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait region.
Chairman Brock had served as a senator (1971-77), a US Trade Representative (1981-85), and US Secretary of Labor under President Ronald Regan's administration (1985-87). President Chen believed that Chairman Brock, with these experiences, would facilitate the signing of the free-trade agreement to benefit the two countries in terms of trade.
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