TAIWAN OPENS TO WIRELESS TRADE

Taiwan opens to wireless tradeWASHINGTON-The Clinton administration said Taiwan has agreed to open its wireless market as part of an overall effort to liberalize telecommunications in that country. The move is expected to give Amer ican firms better odds of landing upcoming wireless contracts in Taiwan.”Removal of these barriers is a good first step toward moving from a monopoly to a competitive market in Taiwan’s telecommunications sector,” said Charlene B arshefsky, U.S. trade representative. “Taiwan’s actions provide opportunities for U.S. companies to gain market access in a sector of tremendous interest to them. The U.S. will monitor Taiwan’s actions closely as it implements the se commitments.”Taiwan passed legislation in January to end its telecommunications monopoly and to invite foreign competition. But the new law included barriers to entry, which Taiwan has since signaled it will lift.USTR said Taiw an also agreed, following recent talks with the United States, to act to remove the cap on profits on new telecommunications companies; to ensure that foreign telecommunications firms can interconnect with the central phone system on the same terms as the national company, Chung Hwa; and to relax stringent debt/equity requirements.