Minister Without Portfolio John Deng (鄧振中), the nation’s top trade negotiator, yesterday said Taiwanese firms’ practice of exporting to the US products made of steel and aluminum from China was the reason that Taiwan has not been exempted from tariffs announced by Washington.
Deng, who is returning to Taiwan after leading a delegation to the US on Sunday last week to seek a tariff exemption, made the remark in a telephone interview with the Central News Agency.
The nation’s unsuccessful attempt to be included in the list of exemptions reflected Washington’s concerns that some Taiwanese firms import steel and aluminum from China and process them into finished goods before selling them to the US market, Deng said.
Photo: Chang Chia-ming, Taipei Times
US President Donald Trump’s tariffs seem to be aimed at curbing alleged dumping of Chinese steel and aluminum products in the US, he said.
Washington might be hoping to work with other nations to stop this situation, he added.
Deng said that after returning to Taiwan early today, he would meet with local exporters to map out a solution.
Despite the setback, he said the government would continue to try to convince the US to exempt Taiwan as a whole, while encouraging individual exporters to seek their own exemption.
The Ministry of Economic Affairs would provide assistance to individual firms that wish to seek an exemption, he added.
The temporary exemption list would not take effect until a formal notice is released by the end of next month, Deng said, adding that Washington welcomes other nations to enter into talks with its trade office for an exemption.
On March 8, Trump signed an order under Section 232 of the US’ Trade Expansion Act of 1962 to impose a 25 percent tariff on imported steel and a 10 percent tariff on aluminum.
The duties took effect on Friday.
It was the first time in more than three decades that the law has been invoked to protect a US industry from competition from imports.
On Friday, US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer told a US Senate panel that Trump has decided to grant a temporary exemption to the EU, Canada, Mexico, Australia, Brazil, Argentina and South Korea as it carries out further negotiations with them.
However, the order signed by Trump leaves open a door to other nations that want to get tariff waivers, as long as they are able to offer a satisfactory alternative during talks with the Office of the US Trade Representative.
While in the US, Deng met with many US government officials and academics from major think tanks, as well as representatives from the business sector, which he said helped him gain a better understanding about the tariff issue.
Deng said he would report to Premier William Lai (賴清德) as soon as possible to discuss whether he will lead another delegation to Washington.
Taiwan’s steel product exports to the US totaled US$1.3 billion last year, accounting for 13.16 percent of the nation’s total exports, while aluminum product exports totaled US$44 million, or 6.15 percent of total aluminum exports, the ministry said
Last year, the US was the largest buyer of the nation’s steel products and the sixth-largest buyer of aluminum products, it said.
GEARING UP: An invasion would be difficult and would strain China’s forces, but it has conducted large-scale training supporting an invasion scenario, the report said China increased its military pressure on Taiwan last year and took other steps in preparation for a potential invasion, an annual report published by the US Department of Defense on Wednesday showed. “Throughout 2023, Beijing continued to erode longstanding norms in and around Taiwan by employing a range of pressure tactics against Taiwan,” the report said, which is titled “Military and Security Developments Involving the People’s Republic of China (PRC) 2024.” The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) “is preparing for a contingency to unify Taiwan with the PRC by force, if perceived as necessary by Beijing, while simultaneously deterring, delaying or denying
PEACEFUL RESOLUTION: A statement issued following a meeting between Australia and Britain reiterated support for Taiwan and opposition to change in the Taiwan Strait Canada should support the peaceful resolution of Taiwan’s destiny according to the will of Taiwanese, Canadian lawmakers said in a resolution marking the second anniversary of that nation’s Indo-Pacific strategy on Monday. The Canadian House of Commons committee on Canada-Chinese relations made the comment as part of 34 recommendations for the new edition of the strategy, adding that Ottawa should back Taiwan’s meaningful participation in international organizations. Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy, first published in October 2022, emphasized that the region’s security, trade, human rights, democracy and environmental protection would play a crucial role in shaping Canada’s future. The strategy called for Canada to deepen
TECH CONFERENCE: Input from industry and academic experts can contribute to future policymaking across government agencies, President William Lai said Multifunctional service robots could be the next new area in which Taiwan could play a significant role, given its strengths in chip manufacturing and software design, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) chairman and chief executive C.C. Wei (魏哲家) said yesterday. “In the past two months, our customers shared a lot of their future plans with me. Artificial intelligence [AI] and AI applications were the most talked about subjects in our conversation,” Wei said in a speech at the National Science and Technology Conference in Taipei. TSMC, the world’s biggest contract chipmaker, counts Nvidia Corp, Advanced Micro Devices Inc, Apple Inc and
LEAP FORWARD: The new tanks are ‘decades more advanced than’ the army’s current fleet and would enable it to compete with China’s tanks, a source said A shipment of 38 US-made M1A2T Abrams tanks — part of a military procurement package from the US — arrived at the Port of Taipei early yesterday. The vehicles are the first batch of 108 tanks and other items that then-US president Donald Trump announced for Taiwan in 2019. The Ministry of National Defense at the time allocated NT$40.5 billion (US$1.25 billion) for the purchase. To accommodate the arrival of the tanks, the port suspended the use of all terminals and storage area machinery from 6pm last night until 7am this morning. The tanks are expected to be deployed at the army’s training
RSS