Taiwan-US tariff negotiations have reached the final stage and progress is within sight, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) told legislators today.
Both sides hope to conclude the talks as soon as possible, despite the US government shutdown, Cho said, pledging that the government would work hard to expedite the process.
Taiwan's exports to the US are currently subject to a 20 percent tariff.
Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei Times
A decision on the tariffs is not up to Taipei, but some progress is expected soon, Cho said in response to a question from Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lai Shyh-bao (賴士葆) about whether the government could finalize a deal by the end of the year.
After the fifth round of in-person talks at the end of September, the two sides held another video conference during which progress was made, Office of Trade Negotiations Executive Secretary Benjamin Hsu (徐崇欽) said at the time.
The two sides are exchanging and discussing written documents, Hsu said, adding that a concluding meeting is to be held to finalize the deal once a consensus is reached.
During today’s legislative session, Lai also asked whether the government has conducted scenario planning regarding the US Supreme Court’s recent debate on the legality of US President Donald Trump’s use of emergency powers to impose reciprocal tariffs, requesting that the Ministry of Economic Affairs submit a report.
The US Supreme Court has yet to issue a ruling, and a pre-emptive report might affect Taiwan-US interactions, Minister of Economic Affairs Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫) said.
The ministry is to submit a report within two weeks after the ruling is out, he said.
The government would fight for the rights of domestic manufacturers if a tariff refund mechanism is later established, he added.
A small number of Taiwanese this year lost their citizenship rights after traveling in China and obtaining a one-time Chinese passport to cross the border into Russia, a source said today. The people signed up through Chinese travel agencies for tours of neighboring Russia with companies claiming they could obtain Russian visas and fast-track border clearance, the source said on condition of anonymity. The travelers were actually issued one-time-use Chinese passports, they said. Taiwanese are prohibited from holding a Chinese passport or household registration. If found to have a Chinese ID, they may lose their resident status under Article 9-1
PROCEDURE: Although there is already a cross-strait agreement in place for the extradition of criminals, ample notice is meant to be given to the other side first Ten Taiwanese who were involved in fraud-related crimes in China were extradited back to Taiwan via Kinmen County on Wednesday, four of whom are convicted fraudsters in Taiwan. The 10 people arrived via a ferry operating between Xiamen and Kinmen, also known as the “small three links.” The Kinmen County Prosecutors’ Office yesterday said that four of the 10 extradited people were convicted in Taiwan for committing fraud and contravening the Money Laundering Control Act (洗錢防制法), and were on the wanted list. They were immediately arrested upon arrival and sent to Kinmen Prison to serve their sentences following brief questioning, the office said.
PROBLEMATIC APP: Citing more than 1,000 fraud cases, the government is taking the app down for a year, but opposition voices are calling it censorship Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) yesterday decried a government plan to suspend access to Chinese social media platform Xiaohongshu (小紅書) for one year as censorship, while the Presidential Office backed the plan. The Ministry of the Interior on Thursday cited security risks and accusations that the Instagram-like app, known as Rednote in English, had figured in more than 1,700 fraud cases since last year. The company, which has about 3 million users in Taiwan, has not yet responded to requests for comment. “Many people online are already asking ‘How to climb over the firewall to access Xiaohongshu,’” Cheng posted on
Taiwanese were praised for their composure after a video filmed by Taiwanese tourists capturing the moment a magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck Japan’s Aomori Prefecture went viral on social media. The video shows a hotel room shaking violently amid Monday’s quake, with objects falling to the ground. Two Taiwanese began filming with their mobile phones, while two others held the sides of a TV to prevent it from falling. When the shaking stopped, the pair calmly took down the TV and laid it flat on a tatami mat, the video shows. The video also captured the group talking about the safety of their companions bathing
RSS