Taipei, April 10 (CNA) Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said Thursday that Taiwan would be prepared for “direct talks” with Washington, after U.S. Donald Trump placed a 90-day hold on sweeping tariffs targeting Taiwanese goods.
At a news conference in Taipei, Cabinet spokesperson Michelle Lee (李慧芝) cited Cho as saying earlier the same day the government would “seize the time and opportunity to engage in direct and effective negotiations with the U.S.,” with the hope of ensuring the interests of Taiwan and its businesses.
Lee, however, declined to provide more details about when such talks would take place and who would be involved, saying only the government would notify the public of progress in due course.
The Taiwanese negotiation team is led by Vice Premier Cheng Li-chiun (鄭麗君) and includes members from the Office of Trade Negotiations, and of national security and foreign affairs teams, according to the Cabinet.
Trump’s “reciprocal tariffs” on imports from dozens of countries — including a blanket 32 percent levy on most Taiwanese goods — were scheduled to take effect on Wednesday.
However, on Wednesday afternoon (Washington time), the U.S. president announced a 90-day pause on the new measures, with reduced 10 percent duties to be applied instead to all but China.
The Cabinet on Thursday also finalized its NT$88 billion (US$2.67 billion) support plans aimed at mitigating the impact of the pledged U.S. tariffs on Taiwanese exporters and the country’s economy.
The plans include NT$70 billion in funding for measures such as lowering loan interest rates, helping enterprises diversify their markets and stabilizing the job market, along with an additional NT$18 billion for financial assistance for the agricultural sector.
Information on how to access the funds will be announced on April 14, according to the Cabinet.
Cho said last week that the support plans would be funded through a special budget that requires legislative approval.
But the Cabinet said on Thursday it planned to tap its second reserve fund and other sources for the measures as it continues drafting a special budget bill.
