US car imports are part of the tariff talks with Washington, Vice Premier Cheng Li-chiun (鄭麗君) said yesterday, but she offered few details on the discussions.
Levies on US car imports, and their compliance with safety and emissions standards were still being negotiated, she added.
Cheng made the statement in response to a question on whether Washington had demanded zero tariffs on US-made vehicles imported into Taiwan.
Photo courtesy of the Taiwan Transportation Vehicle Manufacturers Association
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Wang Ting-yu (王定宇) said there were already rumors about zero tariffs and that the US had made similar demands from Japan and South Korea.
Cheng said that Washington expressed hope for greater openness and expanded market access for US-made vehicles, but she did not provide further details.
Technical aspects were also being discussed, the vice premier said, adding that the outcome would be presented to the legislature and the public once finalized.
Cheng said she has held three videoconferences with US officials since Aug. 1.
The talks remained focused on securing a better tariff rate, ensuring a fair process under US trade law and preventing stacked tariffs, or multiple tariffs being applied to the same product, she said.
They also covered Section 232 of the US’ Trade Expansion Act, as Taiwan has the sixth-largest trade surplus with the US, with about 90 percent of that coming from semiconductors, and information and communication technology products, she added.
The Taiwanese negotiating team would try to seek the best tariff for semiconductors, Cheng said, adding that she expected Washington to arrange a concluding meeting once a certain level of agreement was reached.
In April, the US launched an investigation under Section 232 of the act for a possible tariff on semiconductor imports.
Earlier this month, US President Donald Trump threatened a tariff of about 100 percent on imported semiconductors, but said there would be no charge if companies were building them in the US.
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