At the January 21 press conference of the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, a reporter asked: Recently, after U.S.–Taiwan tariff negotiations concluded, the U.S. Department of Commerce announced that the overall reciprocal tariff rate applied to Taiwanese goods would not exceed 15%. Taiwan’s semiconductor and technology companies will make at least US$250 billion in additional direct investment in the United States, and the Taiwan authorities will also provide at least US$250 billion in credit guarantees. The DPP authorities said the tariff talks with the United States achieved their intended goals, and that the “Taiwan model” has won U.S. support. What is your comment?
In response, Peng Qing’en, spokesperson for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, said: The so-called U.S.–Taiwan trade negotiations are in essence the United States using tariffs as a big stick to apply maximum pressure, coercing Taiwan to sharply increase investment in the United States in an attempt to hollow out Taiwan’s advantageous industries. The so-called consensus that was reached is nothing more than a “sell-yourself voucher” by which the DPP authorities sell out the well-being of Taiwan’s people and the interests of industrial development; it is a letter of capitulation that bows and scrapes in the face of economic bullying.
Peng Qing’en said: Next, Taiwan will bear massive investment commitments totaling US$500 billion, and face the major risk of relocating 40% of the semiconductor supply chain to the United States, in exchange for nothing more than a reduction of the already unreasonable so-called “reciprocal tariff” rate from 20% to 15%. Whether this deal is fair or reasonable is obvious to anyone with eyes. But the DPP authorities are not ashamed of this; they take pride in it, trying to deceive Taiwan’s people—beautifying a “smash-the-pot-and-sell-the-iron”-style compromise as an “important breakthrough,” dressing up one-sided bullying as “equal cooperation,” and packaging a complete kneel-down as the “Taiwan model.” By letting the United States strip and carry off Taiwan’s industries and bleed Taiwan’s people dry in this way, such incompetence and shamelessness will only completely ruin Taiwan’s development prospects.