Taiwan is still hoping to reach a deal with the US in ongoing tariff talks after it was not among the first batch of 14 nations to receive tariff notification letters.
The US issued its first batch of tariff notification letters on Monday, but Executive Yuan spokeswoman Michelle Lee (李慧芝) yesterday confirmed that Taiwan has yet to receive one.
Vice Premier Cheng Li-chun (鄭麗君) and Minister Without Portfolio Yang Jen-ni (楊珍妮), who lead the Office of Trade Negotiations, are in the US negotiating the tariff issue, the Executive Yuan said yesterday.
Photo courtesy of the Presidential Office
The US in early April announced sweeping tariffs on imported goods, including a 32 percent tariff on Taiwan, but it later announced a 90-day suspension for nations to negotiate a trade agreement.
Fourteen nations — most notably Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand — on Monday received letters notifying them of new tariff rates starting on Aug. 1, with the threat that retaliatory tariffs on US goods would lead to even higher rates.
Tariff rates for South Korea, Japan and Malaysia were set at 25 percent, 32 percent for Indonesia and 36 percent for Thailand.
An anonymous source said that the high tariff rates for this first group of nations are examples of negotiations stalling, failing or having been deemed unnecessary to continue.
The US has reportedly indicated that negotiations with Taiwan are progressing positively, the source said.
In a statement issued yesterday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that Taiwan and the US are engaged in discussions on tariffs and that negotiators continue to seek the best outcome.
Developments would be announced to the public when available, the ministry said.
Meanwhile, the Presidential Office yesterday said that President William Lai (賴清德) held a videoconference call with Taiwan’s negotiation team in the US at midnight on Monday.
In the 50-minute call, Lai expressed his gratitude for their months of work, Presidential Office spokesperson Karen Kuo (郭雅慧) said.
Lai emphasized that Taiwan has always sought to maintain positive relations with the US based on mutual benefit, and hope that the negotiations would balance trade and strengthen cooperation between the two nations, Kuo said.
The core mission of Taiwan’s negotiators is to safeguard the national interest, public health and food security, Lai told them, she said.
That Taiwan did not receive a letter could be an indication of positive developments in ongoing discussions between Taiwan and the US, political pundit Grace Woo (吳靜怡) said in a social media post yesterday.
Hopefully, lawmakers understand the importance of strengthening US-Taiwan relations, Woo said, adding that Taiwan’s status as a democratic partner should help it ensure that it is not “punished.”
Additional reporting by Huang Ching-hsuan and Chung Li-hua
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