Taiwan's leading industrial organisationsaid it will send its first buying mission to the U.S. Later
this year in an effort to reduce the country's trade surplus
with Washington.
    A spokesman for the Chinese National Federation of
Industries told Reuters the mission was part of a broader plan
to switch large purchases to the U.S. From Japan.
    The Federation groups all of Taiwan's major industrial
associations. Last year its members purchased about 4.5 billion
U.S. Dlrs worth of industrial products from Japan and about 1.8
billion from the U.S.
    The spokesman said Federation members were now discussing
the volume of business they could transfer to America.
    He said they had drawn up a list of about 80 industrial
products they would be shopping for in the U.S. During the
buying mission in September, but he could give no figure on how
much would be spent.
    A Board of Foreign Trade official told Reuters the
government would send two buying missions to America between
June and July this year and might send others later.
    Taiwan's trade surplus with the U.S. Rose to a record 13.6
billion dlrs last year from 10.2 billion in 1985.
 REUTER
