The Taiwan Affairs Office responded that the Ministry of Commerce will study the suspension or partial suspension of ECFA's tariff preferences for Taiwan and cancel them | mainland | preferences
Spokesperson of the Taiwan Affairs Office, Zhu Fenglian, answered questions from reporters on August 18th.
May I ask for any comments?
According to Zhu Fenglian's inquiry, the preliminary investigation results of the Ministry of Commerce's investigation into Taiwan's trade barriers show that the Democratic Progressive Party's unilateral restrictions on the import of a large number of mainland products are suspected of violating the rules of the World Trade Organization such as the "non discrimination principle" and the "universal cancellation of quantity restrictions", which have harmed the interests of relevant industries and enterprises in mainland China, as well as the interests of Taiwanese consumers. Enterprises and business associations from both sides of the Taiwan Strait who participated in the investigation are calling on Taiwan to lift trade restrictions on the mainland as soon as possible.
Zhu Fenglian said that in June 2010, the two sides of the Taiwan Strait signed the Cross Strait Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement based on the 1992 Consensus. ECFA is a special arrangement reached to promote the normalization, institutionalization, and liberalization of cross-strait economic relations. Its effective implementation brings tangible benefits to both sides of the Taiwan Strait, especially to Taiwan related enterprises and people. Since the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) took office, it has not only failed to take practical measures to lift discriminatory trade restrictions on the mainland, but has also continued to intensify its efforts. For example, the investigation involved 2455 products, which were adjusted to 2509 during the investigation period.
Zhu Fenglian said that according to the preliminary investigation results of trade barriers against Taiwan, the trade restriction measures taken by Taiwan against the mainland do not comply with the requirements of the ECFA for promoting the normalization, institutionalization, and liberalization of cross-strait economic relations, and violate the ECFA's provisions on "gradually reducing or canceling tariff and non-tariff barriers for the substantial majority of goods trade between the two sides.". We support the relevant regulatory authorities to combine the investigation of trade barriers and take corresponding measures in accordance with relevant regulations.