China has launched an investigation into Taiwan’s trade barriers on more than 2,400 Chinese products, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce announced yesterday.
The rare move following a three-day drill China launched near Taiwan over the weekend adds to tension across the Taiwan Strait ahead of next year’s presidential election in the democratic nation.
The Chinese government’s probe would look at import restrictions that Taiwan has either already imposed or is considering imposing on 2,455 types of products from China, the ministry said in a statement on its Web site.
Photo: Taipei Times file photo
The investigation includes products from the agricultural, textile and mineral sectors after the ministry received complaints from three Chinese trade groups, the statement said.
It plans to conclude the investigation before Oct. 12, the ministry said, but added that the probe could be extended by three months to Jan. 12 next year under special circumstances.
It was not known when the results of the investigation would be unveiled.
Taiwan is to hold presidential and legislative elections on Jan. 13 next year.
In Taipei, the Bureau of Foreign Trade said in a separate statement that the Ministry of Economic Affairs was not informed about the investigation before it was announced.
Taiwan regulates Chinese imports based on the Regulations Governing Trade Between the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (台灣地區與大陸地區貿易許可辦法), which provides market access to Chinese goods if they are not deemed to endanger national security and have no major adverse effects on related local industries, the bureau said.
Taiwan has approved imports of 9,835 Chinese agricultural and industrial products since the regulations took effect in 1993, it said.
“The economic and trade interaction between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait is mutually beneficial and complementary,” it said. “It is a key link in the supply chain between regions and even the world, and is crucial to global stability and prosperity.”
“China should not complicate and instrumentalize trade issues to interfere with global economic development,” the bureau said.
“Considering that the economic conditions and structures of the two sides of the Taiwan Strait are different, Taiwan is willing to discuss trade issues with China without preconditions, if necessary,” it said.
The two sides could hold bilateral consultations, initiate multilateral dispute settlement mechanisms or take other measures to address the trade barrier issue, it added.
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