Concerns grew Sunday that trade talks between Taiwan and the United States could be shelved amid fears Washington has taken offence at the island's decision to pull drug-tainted US beef from shelves. Taiwan's deputy foreign minister Shen Lyu-hsun told parliament in December that the talks on the proposed Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) "can be resumed next month."
But Taiwan's state Central News Agency quoted an unnamed economic ministry official as saying that the US has not made "any further response to date".
An economic ministry official reached by AFP said: "Preparatory work should have started if the talks were to be held before the end of this month. But the truth is it did not." The official added: "The US has voiced concerns over the beef incident, which I'm afraid may have negative impacts on the talks."
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