The Ministry of Economic Affairs International Trade Commission (ITC) will make a final decision by March 14 on whether imports of cheap Chinese-made towels have caused local towel manufacturers to incur financial losses, Vice Minister of Economic Affairs Steve Chen (陳瑞隆) announced yesterday.
Chen made the remarks after attending a press conference sponsored by Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) legislators.
Yunlin County Towel Industry Technology Association members lodged a request with the ministry for relief measures against the dumping of Chinese towel imports last year, and a public hearing on the issue was held in Taipei last week, attended by delegates from both sides of the Taiwan Strait.
Chen said that the ITC will be able to decide within three weeks of the hearing's conclusion -- that is, no later than March 25 -- whether cheap Chinese towel imports have resulted in financial losses.
TSU Legislator Lai Hsin-yuan (
Another TSU Legislator, Ho Min-hao (何敏豪), suggested that the ITC make a decision on March 14, noting that it would be the first anniversary of Beijing's enactment of the "Anti-Secession Law."
He also said that Taiwan must "express its opposition" to the law, which codifies the use of "non-peaceful means" against Taiwan should the island move toward formal independence.
Chen reluctantly accepted Ho's suggestion and moved the timing of the decision forward.
If the ITC decides that the domestic towel industry has suffered losses as a result of Chinese towels being under-priced, the government will draft import relief measures -- such as raising tariffs and setting quotas on Chinese imports -- and hold trade talks with China according to WTO regulations.
Since both Taiwan and China entered the WTO four years ago, Chinese-made towels have taken the lion's share -- 70 percent -- of the local market, driving most of Taiwan's major towel manufacturers out of business.
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