The government would definitely defend the nation’s most sensitive products, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said yesterday, as the 90-day pause on sweeping US tariffs is set to expire on Wednesday.
Cho made the remarks when inspecting the public grain reserve in Yunlin County’s Dounan Township (斗南) yesterday, in response to remarks by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Chang Chia-chun (張嘉郡), who said she hopes Taiwan’s tariff negotiation with the US would not end up sacrificing farmers, as agriculture is the nation’s foundation.
The manufacturing and agriculture industries are the most important in the negotiations, Cho said, adding that the government has been seeking to find a balance between the two, while complying with various international standards, including inspection standards, and international trade and economic norms.
Photo: Taipei Times
The negotiations are ongoing, but the government would definitely protect the nation’s most sensitive products, he said.
US President Donald Trump on Friday said that he had signed 12 trade letters to be sent out next week ahead of an impending deadline for his tariffs to take effect.
His remarks came days before steeper duties — which Trump on Thursday said would range between 10 and 70 percent — are set to take effect on dozens of economies, including Taiwan and the EU.
The tariffs were part of a broader announcement in April, when Trump imposed a 10 percent duty on goods from almost all trading partners, with a plan to increase the rates for a select group within days.
However, he swiftly paused the hikes until Wednesday, allowing for trade talks to take place. Countries have been pushing to strike deals that would help them avoid the elevated duties.
Following Trump’s announcement, Taiwan and the US held their first direct talks about the tariffs on April 11 via video conference, and their first round of in-person tariff talks in Washington began on May 1, with a second round of in-person talks beginning on June 25.
Asked about the progress of Taiwan’s tariff talks with the US, the Executive Yuan on Friday said that Taiwan and the US are continuously negotiating on tariffs, and trade and economic issues, and it would brief details of the talks to the public at the right time.
Additional reporting by Chung Li-hua
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