The Cabinet says it's "confident" that a new US investigation into possible
forced-labor practices involving Taiwan won't affect the terms of a recent
trade agreement.

The Office of the US Trade Representative has launched separate
investigations into America's 60 largest trading partners, including Taiwan,
China, Japan and the European Union.

In a statement, the Cabinet said QUOTE "It is the government's abiding goal
to bring labor standards in line with international norms," adding that a
Taiwanese negotiating team had reached "a broad consensus" on the issue.

Specifically, it said it has drafted a legal amendment that would prohibit
employers from retaining migrant workers' identity documents -- a restriction
that isn't currently in Taiwan labor law.

Under the trade agreement, the US agreed to reduce US tariffs on Taiwanese
goods from 20 percent to 15 percent without stacking them on top of Taiwanese
exports already enjoying most-favored-nation status. The agreement also
grants the *most* favorable treatment to Taiwanese semiconductor exports.

Taiwan agreed to provide greater market access for American cars, pork and
beef, among other concessions.

CNA_JvW