TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan’s Minister of Economic Affairs Wang Mei-hua (王美花) will join U.S. Assistant Secretary of State David Stilwell, who heads East Asian and Pacific Affairs, at a virtual forum at the end of the month to discuss economic relations between the two countries.

Hosted by conservative American think tank The Heritage Foundation, the forum will be held Aug. 31 in the form of a webinar due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The Taiwanese minister and assistant secretary of state will feature in a discussion on bilateral collaboration in the trade and economic arenas.

“The U.S.-Taiwan relationship is increasingly important in the face of a more aggressive China,” said The Heritage Foundation on its website. It noted that economic cooperation between Taiwan and the U.S. has not developed commensurately with the ties the countries have enjoyed in other fields in recent years.

Taiwan’s Representative to the U.S. Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) will open the event, according to the think tank. “It’s right time for #Taiwan&US to move forwards towards a stronger economic partnership,” tweeted TECRO, Taiwan’s representative office in the U.S., on Tuesday (Aug. 25).

Based on data from the U.S. Department of Commerce, Taiwan was the U.S.' ninth-largest trading partner in the first half of 2020, and bilateral trade and economic exchanges remain robust in spite of the coronavirus crisis. The pandemic has had serious repercussions on the global economy, said TECRO, adding that both countries have come to realize the importance of having secure supply chains.

It’s right time for #Taiwan&US to move forwards towards a stronger economic partnership. @USAsiaPacific A/S David Stilwell & Economic Minister Mei-Hua Wang will discuss Taiwan-US relations at a @heritage webinar at 9 am on Aug. 31 EST., w/opening remarks by Rep.@bikhim. (1/2)

— Taiwan in the US (@TECRO_USA) August 24, 2020