President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday called a meeting of the National Security Council (NSC) to discuss possible actions and contingency plans should the escalating trade war between the US and China affect Taiwan.
Premier William Lai (賴清德), NSC Secretary-General David Lee (李大維) and Presidential Office Secretary-General Chen Chu (陳菊) were among those who attended the meeting.
The US tariffs on Chinese steel and aluminum implemented in March was of great concern to Tsai, who ordered the council to establish a task force to monitor the issue, analyze its possible effects on Taiwan and develop contingencies, Presidential Office spokesperson Alex Huang (黃重諺) said.
Photo: CNA
Local businesses and Taiwanese firms in China should not be affected by the 25 percent tariffs imposed on Chinese goods per Article 301 of the US Trade Act, Huang said.
US tariffs that are scheduled to take effect on July 6 for List 1, which includes 818 items, has been included in the assessment, he said.
Taiwanese businesses supply a very small amount of the items on List 2, which includes petrochemical, mechanical and semiconductor items, Huang said.
However, if the US imposes another 10 percent tariff on US$2 trillion worth of Chinese goods, the situation would no doubt escalate, the assessment said.
Further tit-for-tat measures between the US and China could make waves in financial markets and lead to trade protectionism, it said.
While there is a chance that continued escalation could run out of control, that possibility is not high, the assessment added.
Taiwan should consider structural changes to its global and regional supply chain, as the US-China trade conflict is showing signs of protraction, it said.
Such changes could indicate a shift in the global industry supply chain and the role of Taiwanese businesses in the regional supply chain, as well as trilateral relations between Taiwan, the US and China, the assessment said.
Tsai instructed the council to continue to monitor the trade conflict and prepare government agencies for countermeasures, Huang said.
“The president has also instructed the Executive Yuan and other agencies to issue statements to allay the sense of unease among local industries regarding the US-China trade war,” Huang said.
The task force consists of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, the Executive Yuan’s Office of Trade Negotiations, the central bank, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Mainland Affairs Council and the National Security Bureau.
“The government should place the nation’s strategic, economic and industrial benefits at the fore when mulling contingency plans and countermeasures,” Huang quoted Tsai as saying.
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