The Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) will suspend talks with China over the controversial cross-strait trade in goods agreement before a new Cabinet is formed, Minister of Economic Affairs John Deng (鄧振中) said yesterday.
“We have to respect the opinions of the country’s new leader… The ministry plans to put on hold to any ongoing trade-related policies and negotiations with Beijing before the situation with the new government is clear,” Deng told reporters at the Executive Yuan after the Cabinet’s resigned en masse.
Although President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) has not approved Premier Mao Chi-kuo’s (毛治國) resignation, Deng said the ministry would not push any major or new policies after the resignation, which includes negotiations over the goods pact, and it is hard to say when negotiations would resume.
“We may have to wait until the new government takes office on May 20, or even after the new legislators pass an act supervising the cross-strait agreements,” he said.
The ministry will inform China about the delay via the Mainland Affairs Council, he said.
The two sides originally planned to host a 13th round of the talks last month, but the negotiations were postponed due to differences on tariff reductions.
Deng said the ministry does not have a time frame, or stance on whether to lift the ban on Chinese investments in local integrated-circuit design companies, adding that the issue is now up to the newly elected legislators.
The Industrial Development Bureau is working on an evaluation report on the issue and plans to hold a public hearing before sending the report to the legislature.
However, the review of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co’s (TSMC, 台積電) application to build a new 12-inch wafer factory in China would not be affected because the government has lifted the ban on local chipmakers investing in such factories, he said.
The Investment Commission is likely to review the TSMC project before the Lunar New Year holidays, which begin on Feb. 6, commission Executive Secretary Emile Chang (張銘斌) said.
European Central Bank (ECB) President Christine Lagarde is expected to step down from her role before her eight-year term ends in October next year, the Financial Times reported. Lagarde wants to leave before the French presidential election in April next year, which would allow French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz to find her replacement together, the report said, citing an unidentified person familiar with her thoughts on the matter. It is not clear yet when she might exit, the report said. “President Lagarde is totally focused on her mission and has not taken any decision regarding the end of
French President Emmanuel Macron told a global artificial intelligence (AI) summit in India yesterday he was determined to ensure safe oversight of the fast-evolving technology. The EU has led the way for global regulation with its Artificial Intelligence Act, which was adopted in 2024 and is coming into force in phases. “We are determined to continue to shape the rules of the game... with our allies such as India,” Macron said in New Delhi. “Europe is not blindly focused on regulation — Europe is a space for innovation and investment, but it is a safe space.” The AI Impact Summit is the fourth
STRATEGIC ALLIANCE: The initiative is aimed at protecting semiconductor supply chain resilience to reduce dependence on China-dominated manufacturing hubs India yesterday joined a US-led initiative to strengthen technology cooperation among strategic allies in a move that underscores the nations’ warming ties after a brief strain over New Delhi’s unabated purchase of discounted Russian oil. The decision aligns India closely with Washington’s efforts to build secure supply chains for semiconductors, advanced manufacturing and critical technologies at a time when geopolitical competition with China is intensifying. It also signals a reset in relations following friction over energy trade and tariffs. Nations that have joined the Pax Silica framework include Japan, South Korea, the UK and Israel. “Pax Silica will be a group of nations
CONFUSION: Taiwan, Japan and other big exporters are cautiously monitoring the situation, while analysts said more Trump responses ate likely after his loss in court US trading partners in Asia started weighing fresh uncertainties yesterday after President Donald Trump vowed to impose a new tariff on imports, hours after the Supreme Court struck down many of the sweeping levies he used to launch a global trade war. The court’s ruling invalidated a number of tariffs that the Trump administration had imposed on Asian export powerhouses from China and South Korea to Japan and Taiwan, the world’s largest chip maker and a key player in tech supply chains. Within hours, Trump said he would impose a new 10 percent duty on US imports from all countries starting on
RSS