The Office of the US Trade Representative submitted this year’s National Trade Estimate (NTE) report yesterday, criticizing Taiwan for its policies on certain US imports ahead of an expected tariff announcement tomorrow.
The NTE is an annual report submitted to US Congress by March 31, although this one comes as US President Donald Trump threatens to enact reciprocal tariffs on nearly every country with which the US engages in trade.
This year’s report calls out Taiwan’s trade barriers for vehicles, US pork and beef, and intellectual property (IP) protection, among other sectors.
Photo: Taipei Times
On vehicles, Taiwan adopted global automobile standards upon becoming a WTO member in January 2002 and has regulations in place for companies to import vehicles that comply with US Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, the NTE said.
However, the limit on those vehicles is only 75 units per car model as of 2023, reduced from 100 units per model in 2021, it said.
On US pork products, Taiwan’s regulations on labeling products and limits on the leanness-enhancing additive ractopamine “inaccurately implied that there is a food safety concern with US pork products,” the report said.
US stakeholders have also expressed concerns that officials “target” establishments such as importers and distributors of US pork, “disrupting” normal business and “discouraging” them from purchasing US pork products, the NTE said.
For beef and beef products, the report said Taiwan lifted a ban on products from cattle older than 30 months, but has continued to ban imports of certain products claiming food safety concerns.
“The United States continues to urge Taiwan to open its market fully to US beef and beef products based on science” as well as a 2009 agreement between the two countries, the NTE said.
For IP protection, the NTE said that Taiwan in 2019 revised copyright laws to crack down on illegal streaming devices, but that online piracy remains “widespread.”
While the NTE said that “draft amendments represented progress in some areas,” they have yet to be passed by the government, as have 2022 amendments to copyright regulations that would allow for criminal prosecution without complaint from the rights holder if damages exceed a certain threshold.
The NTE was published alongside a statement by US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, who said that “no American president in modern history has recognized the wide-ranging and harmful foreign trade barriers American exporters face more than President Trump.”
“This administration is working diligently to address these unfair and non-reciprocal practices,” the statement added.
Additional reporting by CNA
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