TRADE : U.S. Seeks More Access to Taiwan

U.S. Trade Representative Mickey Kantor asked Taiwan to lower its trade barriers to admit more U.S. exports and asked Taipei to push ahead with plans to join the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade. The request is for tariff cuts on 2,800 products, including those where U.S. exporters are most competitive. Other GATT members are expected to make similar requests over the next several months, Kantor said in a statement. If fully implemented, the U.S. request would cut average Taiwanese tariff protection against U.S. exports by half.