The US issued its first batch of tariff notification letters yesterday, although Executive Yuan spokesperson Michelle Lee (李慧芝) today confirmed 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 leads the Executive Yuan's Office of Trade Negotiations, are currently in the US negotiating on the tariff issue, the Executive Yuan said today.
In April, the US announced a 32-percent tariff in Taiwan, although it later announced a 90-day postponement period to negotiate a trade agreement.
Photo: Reuters
Fourteen countries, most notably Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand, received letters notifying them of new tariff rates starting on Aug. 1, with the threat that retaliatory tariffs 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 countries 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 today, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that Taiwan and the US are currently engaged in discussions on tariffs and that the country continues to seek the best outcome in negotiations.
Developments would be announced to the public when available, the ministry said.
The Presidential Office today said that President William Lai (賴清德) had a video call with the negotiating team late last night.
In a 50-minute call, Lai expressed his gratitude for their months of work on trade discussions, Presidential Office spokesperson Karen Kuo (郭雅慧) said.
Lai emphasized that Taiwan has always sought to maintain positive relations with the US based off mutual benefit and has hope the negotiations would both balance trade and strengthen cooperation between the two countries, Kuo said.
The core mission of Taiwan’s negotiators is to safeguard national interests, public health and food security, Lai told them, Kuo said.
Taiwan’s exclusion could be an indication of positive developments in ongoing discussions between Taiwan and the US, political pundit and former Taiwan People's Party member Grace Woo (吳靜怡) said today in a Facebook post.
Hopefully, lawmakers in the Legislative Yuan understand the importance of strengthening US-Taiwan relations, Woo said, adding that Taiwan’s status as a democratic partner should help it ensure it is not “punished.”
Additional reporting by Huang Ching-hsuan and Chung Li-hua
TRAFFIC SAFETY RULES: A positive result in a drug test would result in a two-year license suspension for the driver and vehicle, and a fine of up to NT$180,000 The Ministry of Transportation and Communications is to authorize police to conduct roadside saliva tests by the end of the year to deter people from driving while under the influence of narcotics, it said yesterday. The ministry last month unveiled a draft of amended regulations governing traffic safety rules and penalties, which included provisions empowering police to conduct mandatory saliva tests on drivers. While currently rules authorize police to use oral fluid testing kits for signs of drug use, they do not establish penalties for noncompliance or operating procedures for officers to follow, the ministry said. The proposed changes to the regulations require
The Executive Yuan yesterday announced that registration for a one-time universal NT$10,000 cash handout to help people in Taiwan survive US tariffs and inflation would start on Nov. 5, with payouts available as early as Nov. 12. Who is eligible for the handout? Registered Taiwanese nationals are eligible, including those born in Taiwan before April 30 next year with a birth certificate. Non-registered nationals with residence permits, foreign permanent residents and foreign spouses of Taiwanese citizens with residence permits also qualify for the handouts. For people who meet the eligibility requirements, but passed away between yesterday and April 30 next year, surviving family members
China Airlines Ltd (CAL) yesterday morning joined SkyTeam’s Aviation Challenge for the fourth time, operating a demonstration flight for “net zero carbon emissions” from Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport to Bangkok. The flight used sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) at a ratio of up to 40 percent, the highest proportion CAL has achieved to date, the nation’s largest carrier said. Since April, SAF has become available to Taiwanese international carriers at Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport), Kaohsiung International Airport and Taoyuan airport. In previous challenges, CAL operated “net zero carbon emission flights” to Singapore and Japan. At a ceremony at Taoyuan airport, China Airlines chief sustainability
‘ONE CHINA’: A statement that Berlin decides its own China policy did not seem to sit well with Beijing, which offered only one meeting with the German official German Minister for Foreign Affairs Johann Wadephul’s trip to China has been canceled, a spokesperson for his ministry said yesterday, amid rising tensions between the two nations, including over Taiwan. Wadephul had planned to address Chinese curbs on rare earths during his visit, but his comments about Berlin deciding on the “design” of its “one China” policy ahead of the trip appear to have rankled China. Asked about Wadephul’s comments, Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Guo Jiakun (郭嘉昆) said the “one China principle” has “no room for any self-definition.” In the interview published on Thursday, Wadephul said he would urge China to
RSS