The US is willing to discuss tariffs with Taiwan and has asked Taipei to provide more information on the issue, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday.
The US on Wednesday last week announced “reciprocal” tariffs against multiple nations worldwide, including a 32 percent tax on Taiwanese goods.
Per the instructions of President William Lai (賴清德), a negotiation task force has reached out to the US regarding tariff negotiations, and Washington has responded affirmatively, stating that Taiwan is on the list for future tariff negotiations.
Photo: Fang Wei-li, Taipei Times
The US has requested additional information that the Taiwanese government is willing and is in the process of providing, Lin said, adding that the date for negotiations has not yet been confirmed.
The meeting with the US will not just be about tariffs, but will also touch on the issue of Taiwanese investments and purchases of US natural gas in Alaska, as mentioned by US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent, Lin added.
Lin was referring to a report by Bloomberg report in which Bessent said: “We will see what our trading partners offer… For instance, there is talk of a big energy deal in Alaska where the Japanese and perhaps the [South] Koreans, perhaps the Taiwanese, would provide — would take a lot of the offtake.”
The Executive Yuan has made a list of industries in which the US would like to see increased Taiwanese investment and purchases, Lin said, adding that the government is discussing how to decrease tariffs, or resolve non-tariff trade barriers, on vehicles, pharmaceuticals and agricultural produce, Lin said.
Asked if he would accompany the task force, Lin said that Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Chen Ming-chi (陳明祺) is cochair of the Executive Yuan’s US-Taiwan Financial and Commerce Taskforce and would assist Minister Without Portfolio Yang Jen-ni(楊珍妮), who is the head of the Executive Yuan’s Office of Trade Negotiations, on the talks.
The president has also appointed Vice Premier Cheng Li-chun (鄭麗君) to oversee the talks, Lin said.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday said it is to lead a group of businesses to a US investment summit next month.
The Legislative Yuan has invited Cabinet ministers, trade officials and the central bank to report today on diplomatic and trade responses to US tariffs and competition with China.
In a written report submitted to lawmakers yesterday, the ministry said that in response to the US’ 32 percent tariffs, it is “working with relevant ministries to promote relevant contingencies.”
Primarily, the government is aiming to purchase more from the US to reduce the trade deficit, including major procurement of agricultural and manufactured goods, oil and natural gas, the report said.
It is also looking to expand investments in the US to deepen Taiwan-US trade cooperation and enhance Taiwan’s strategic position, it said.
To this end, the ministry and relevant agencies are to assist businesses in attending the SelectUSA Investment Summit organized by the US Department of Commerce to help them better understand the investment environment in the US.
According to its official Web site, this year’s summit is to be held from May 11 to 14 in National Harbor, Maryland.
Taiwan and the US share values and complimentary industrial trade structures, the ministry said.
“Taiwan is an indispensable, important and reliable partner in the US’ reconstruction of its manufacturing industry and consolidation of its high-tech leadership,” it said, adding that it hopes to seek a rational trade balance.
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
President William Lai (賴清德) has appointed former vice president Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) to attend the late Pope Francis’ funeral at the Vatican City on Saturday on his behalf, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today. The Holy See announced Francis’ funeral would take place on Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square. The ministry expressed condolences over Francis’ passing and said that Chen would represent Taiwan at the funeral and offer condolences in person. Taiwan and the Vatican have a long-standing and close diplomatic relationship, the ministry said. Both sides agreed to have Chen represent Taiwan at the funeral, given his Catholic identity and
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
RSS