U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) welcomes the announcement of the signing of the United States-Taiwan Agreement on Reciprocal Trade by the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.
“Taiwan is one of U.S. wheat’s most important partners and this agreement comes as we prepare to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the U.S. Wheat Associates Taipei Office,” said USW President and CEO Mike Spier. “The agreement has the potential to provide duty-free access for U.S. wheat and contains significant commitments to adopt sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) policies that are science-based and enable trade.”
In September 2025, USW and the Taiwan Flour Millers Association (TFMA) signed a Letter of Intent for the purchase of 3.6 million metric tons (MMT) – 132.3 million bushels – of U.S. wheat between 2026 and 2029 with an estimated value of $1.296 billion. If finalized by Taiwan’s legislature, the U.S.-Taiwan Agreement on Reciprocal Trade would help lower tariff and non-tariff barriers for U.S. wheat products and facilitate the purchase of more high-quality and reliable U.S. wheat in the years to come.
In addition to lowering U.S. tariffs on wheat to zero, the agreement contains some of the strongest language available on SPS issues, providing U.S. exporters with assurances that Taiwan will adopt and implement science-based standards and enable trade in the event of disruptions. These include commitments on agricultural biotechnology, promises to adopt policies related to managing low-level presence, and commitments to use Codex pesticide MRLs in the absence of an established MRL by Taiwan.
“It is difficult to understate the significance of this agreement and the SPS commitments in it,” Spier said. “Taiwan has one of the fastest-growing and most technologically advanced economies in Asia. This reciprocal trade agreement deepens our bilateral relationship and our cooperation on current and emerging issues. We value that engagement and thank U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador Jamieson Greer for the initiative to deepen this relationship.”
