Taiwan’s most favored nation (MFN) rates and most favorable treatment under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act would not be affected by changes to US President Donald Trump’s reciprocal tariffs over the weekend, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said today.
A ruling on Friday by the US Supreme Court declared Trump’s global tariffs unconstitutional, following which Trump on Saturday signed an executive order to impose a 15 percent tariff rate globally.
Taiwan had secured a 15 percent tariff rate in January and MFN treatment and allowances under Section 232 in a trade deal signed earlier this month, following 10 months of negotiations.
Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei Times
The government would strive to secure those same benefits under the new tariff policy, Cho said.
Taiwan would hold talks with the US side as soon as possible to discuss the conditions and legal implications of the tariffs’ implementation, Cho said.
The government would release a more detailed explanation to the public in due course, he added.
Officials yesterday held a seven-hour meeting from 3pm to 10pm to discuss the evolving situation and international response, with information gathering made more difficult as it was a public holiday, he said.
Attendees decided to use the comprehensive statement issued by Vice Premier Cheng Li-chiun (鄭麗君) as Taiwan’s official position, he added.
The Grand Hotel Taipei on Saturday confirmed that its information system had been illegally accessed and expressed its deepest apologies for the concern it has caused its customers, adding that the issue is being investigated by the Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau. The hotel said that on Tuesday last week, it had discovered an external illegal intrusion into its information system. An initial digital forensic investigation confirmed that parts of the system had been accessed, it said, adding that the possibility that some customer data were stolen and leaked could not be ruled out. The actual scope and content of the affected data
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A New York-based NGO has launched a global initiative to rename the nation’s overseas missions, most of which operate under the name "Taipei," to "Taiwan Representative Office (TRO)," according to a news release. Ming Chiang (江明信), CEO of Hello Taiwan, announced the campaign at a news conference in Berlin on Monday, coinciding with the World Forum held from Monday through Wednesday, the institution stated in the release. Speaking at the event, Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Huang Jie (黃捷) said she believed this renaming campaign would enable the international community to see Taiwan
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