A WTO ruling in favor of Taiwan in a dispute with India over information technology (IT) product import duties shows that Taipei can effectively use the organization to protect the interests of its exporters, the Office of Trade Negotiations said on Tuesday.
The office said that many Taiwanese IT firms have invested in India amid a US-China trade dispute, and frequently import parts and components to be used in their factories there.
However, New Delhi in 2014 started imposing import duties of up to 20 percent on 32 categories of IT products — including cellphones, base stations, handsets and many IT components — to protect local firms in contravention of its commitments to keeping them duty-free, the office said.
Photo: Ann Wang, Reuters
Last year, more than US$930 million in Taiwanese exports to India were affected by the tariffs, it said.
To protect Taiwan’s competitiveness in the sector, the office consulted with stakeholders, including the Taipei Computer Association, and filed a complaint with the WTO, which was joined by Japan and the EU, it said.
Taiwan requested consultations with India in 2019 and the establishment of a panel to resolve the dispute in 2020, the WTO said.
Although the case was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a final report issued on Monday found that India’s actions contravened its commitments under the organization, and recommended that it return to compliance, the office said.
The WTO provides a system for resolving disputes and safeguarding the interests of Taiwanese businesses, it said.
Since joining the organization in 2002, Taiwan has been a claimant in seven cases, three of which were settled before litigation.
Of the four cases that went before a panel, three resulted in rulings in Taiwan’s favor, the office said.
The domestic unit of the Chinese-owned, Dutch-headquartered chipmaker Nexperia BV will soon be able to produce semiconductors locally within China, according to two company sources. Nexperia is at the center of a global tug-of-war over critical semiconductor technology, with a Dutch court in February ordering a probe into alleged mismanagement at the company. The geopolitical tussle has disrupted supply chains, with some carmakers reportedly forced to cut production due to chip shortages. Local production would allow Nexperia’s domestic arm, Nexperia Semiconductors (China) Ltd (安世半導體中國), to bypass restrictions in place since October on the supply of silicon wafers — etched with tiny components to
Singapore-based ride-hailing and delivery giant Grab Holdings Ltd has applied for regulatory approval to acquire the Taiwan operations of Germany-based Delivery Hero SE's Foodpanda in a deal valued at about US$600 million. Grab submitted the filing to the Fair Trade Commission on Friday last week, with the transaction subject to regulatory review and approval, the company said in a statement yesterday. Its independent governance structure would help foster a healthy and competitive market in Taiwan if the deal is approved, Grab said. Grab, which is listed on the NASDAQ, said in the filing that US-based Uber Technologies Inc holds about 13 percent of
Taiwan is open to joining a global liquefied natural gas (LNG) program if one is created, but on the condition that countries provide delivery even in a scenario where there is a conflict with China, an energy department official said yesterday. While Taiwan’s priority is to have enough LNG at home, the nation is open to exploring potential strategic reserves in other countries such as Japan or South Korea, Energy Administration Deputy Director-General Chen Chung-hsien (陳崇憲) said. While the LNG market does not have a global reserve for emergencies like that of oil, the concept has been raised a few times —
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) yesterday received government approval to deploy its advanced 3-nanometer (3nm) process at its second fab currently under construction in Japan, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said in a news release. The ministry green-lit the plan for the facility in Kumamoto, which is scheduled to start installing equipment and come online in 2028 with a monthly production capacity of 15,000 12-inch wafers, the ministry said. The Department of Investment Review in June 2024 authorized a US$5.26 billion investment for the facility, slated to manufacture 6- to 12nm chips, significantly less advanced than 3nm process. At a meeting with
RSS