On the 3rd, Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te, at a Taiwan-US Economic Prosperity Partnership Dialogue press conference held at the Presidential Office, called on the Legislative Yuan to cross party lines in reviewing the Taiwan-US tariff agreement and to jointly safeguard this hard-won negotiation achievement.
According to Taiwanese media reports, after more than nine months of negotiations, the Taiwan-US tariff talks reached a consensus on a 15% tariff rate on January 16. However, Taiwan's opposition camps have questioned that the government made excessive concessions and have vowed to scrutinize the agreement in the legislature.
The Taiwan-US Economic Prosperity Partnership Dialogue (EPPD) concluded in Washington on January 27. Lai Ching-te said at the press conference that the dialogue mainly focused on four pillars: strategic alignment on supply chain security, cooperation on critical minerals, third-country cooperation, and Taiwan-US collaboration. From these, three strategic directions for future Taiwan-US cooperation were outlined.
He stated that Taiwan and the US have signed the Silicon Age Declaration and the Taiwan-US Joint Statement on Economic Security Cooperation, specifically demonstrating the joint commitment of Taiwan and the US to strengthen economic security together. In the future, both sides will prepare to establish working groups to continue maintaining close communication and enhanced interaction on important issues of mutual concern, jointly building a safer and more resilient supply chain.
He pointed out that, in the future, Taiwan and the US will jointly create an innovative economy, advancing substantive programs to ensure supply chain security, drone system certification, and the removal of investment tax barriers. This will further solidify the Taiwan-US partnership and keep pace with the technological reshaping of the global industrial landscape, ushering in the next generation of prosperity.
Lai Ching-te emphasized that Taiwan and the United States are indeed indispensable key partners in each other's future prosperity.