The total tariff rate imposed by the United States on Chinese imported goods has reached 245%. The Taiwan Affairs Office of China's mainland stated on the 16th that export-oriented enterprises, including mainland Taiwanese businesses, will be affected to a certain extent in the short term. The office will actively improve the systems and policies that promote economic and cultural exchanges and cooperation across the Taiwan Strait, helping Taiwanese businesses to transform and upgrade.
On the 16th, the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council of China's mainland held a regular press conference. During the event, the spokesperson, Zhu Fenglian, made the above statements while answering media inquiries.
Zhu Fenglian noted that due to high tariff barriers, export-oriented enterprises, including those run by mainland Taiwanese, will be affected in the short term. However, in the long run, the stable and positive supporting conditions and basic trend of China's mainland economy will continue to develop. The mainland is fully confident in continuing to be a major contributor to global economic growth and expanding broader space for cross-strait economic cooperation and integration.
Zhu Fenglian stated that the office will actively improve systems and policies promoting economic and cultural exchanges and cooperation across the Taiwan Strait, deepen cross-strait integration and development, help mainland Taiwanese businesses to transform and upgrade, and expand domestic demand. Director Song Tao of the Taiwan Affairs Office will also hold a symposium with Taiwanese businesses in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, on the 18th to hear the opinions and suggestions of Taiwanese businesses and enterprises operating in the mainland.
Zhu Fenglian mentioned that the advantages of a large mainland market, broad market prospects, stable policy expectations, and a safe environment have become more pronounced, consistently making the mainland the best choice for a vast number of Taiwanese businesses to invest in. From January to February this year, the trade volume between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait reached 310.34 billion RMB (187.309 billion MYR), an annual increase of 10%; the mainland's actual use of Taiwanese capital reached $710 million (3.133 billion MYR), an annual increase of 83.7%; 921 new Taiwanese investment enterprises were established.
Zhu Fenglian said that the U.S.'s indiscriminate imposition of tariffs and provocation of a global trade war threaten the economic development and livelihoods across the Taiwan Strait. The people on both sides should work together to face external risks and challenges, firmly safeguard legitimate development rights and interests, and the interests of the Chinese nation.