Taiwan's political parties slam China's plan to axe tariff exemptions

Taipei, Sept. 19 (CNA) Taiwan's three major political parties on Thursday all took issue with China's announcement the previous night that it plans to end import tariff exemptions on 34 Taiwanese agricultural products from Sept. 25.

The ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) labeled the move as economic coercion inflicted by Beijing in an attempt to influence Taiwanese politics.

DPP legislative caucus secretary-general Wu Szu-yao (吳思瑤) said Thursday at a press conference in the Legislative Yuan that Beijing was again trying to use economic means to achieve its political goals.

Since 2021, China has banned imports of several Taiwanese agricultural goods as part of its coercive measures to try to sway public opinion in Taiwan, Wu said.

Wu said this shows China's disregard for international economic and trade cooperation rules, its trade agreements with Taiwan and its disregard of the rights and interests of Taiwanese farmers and fishers.

However, the suspension of tariff exemptions is unlikely to have a huge impact on the Taiwanese economy as the government has worked to expand its reach in international markets and boost the marketing of local produce, Wu added.

Meanwhile, the Taiwan People's Party (TPP) condemned China's sudden announcement of the decision and for using agricultural matters to try and force the Taiwanese government to make compromises.

The TPP said in a statement Thursday that China's surprise move, with its clear intention of provoking Taiwanese farmers to pressure the government, will fail to improve cross-strait relations and will exacerbate hostility between both sides of the strait.

The party said that although the central government has claimed the impact of the new measure will be limited, relevant government agencies should provide necessary assistance to farmers and fishers.

The matter also highlights the importance of Taiwan actively seeking meaningful participation in international and multilateral organizations, the TPP added in the statement.

At the same time, the main opposition Kuomintang (KMT) called on the Chinese authorities to reconsider cancellation of the favorable measures, saying that the standards for scrapping its tariff exemptions on Taiwanese agricultural imports must have reasonable basis and meet specific requirements.

The KMT released a statement Thursday saying that the KMT's continual position is to support cross-strait exchanges and cooperation in the belief that it can enhance the well-being of people on both sides and maintain peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.

It said the KMT is extremely unhappy to see the current regression of cross-strait relations.

The KMT noted that cross-strait relations were in turmoil when the DPP was in power from 2000-2008.

In April 2005, then KMT Chairman Lien Chan (連戰) launched a historic ice-breaking visit to China, where Lien and then Chinese President Hu Jintao (胡錦濤) agreed on the "five visions for peaceful development" to be the cornerstone for the cross-strait relationship.

The agreement also resulted in Taiwanese agricultural exports to China, according to the KMT statement.

The KMT is unwilling to see the erosion of such a strong foundation of cross-strait relations. It will continue to promote cross-strait exchanges and cooperation and serve as a stabilizing force amid the turmoil across the strait, according to the statement.