TAIPEI (TVBS News) — The Executive Yuan (行政院) , Taiwan's cabinet, confronted mounting pressure from new U.S. reciprocal tariffs that took effect Thursday (Aug. 7) as Vice Premier Cheng Li-chun (鄭麗君) addressed trade tensions during Monday's (Aug. 11) press conference. Cheng acknowledged American demands for expanded market access and greater openness from trading partners amid escalating bilateral negotiations.
Cheng highlighted how numerous nations maintain nearly comprehensive zero-tariff policies while emphasizing U.S. expectations for Taiwan to offer similar concessions during ongoing trade talks. Import car tariff specifics remain unresolved as negotiations continue between the two governments. Senior officials Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫), Yang Jen-ni (楊珍妮), and Michelle Lee (李慧芝) joined the Vice Premier at the briefing.
Taiwan-U.S. trade negotiations continue as both sides work toward resolution of outstanding issues. President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) established a 3% GDP defense spending target in February to ensure military procurement remains separate from trade discussions. Cheng stressed the complexity of finalizing import car tariff arrangements and called for patience from all stakeholders during the deliberative process. ◼
