Premier will report to LY on response to U.S. tariffs: Opposition

Taipei, April 7 (CNA) Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) has agreed to report to lawmakers on details of a NT$88 billion Cabinet (US$2.65 billion) proposal to help Taiwanese businesses in the wake of sweeping tariffs announced by U.S. President Donald Trump, an opposition party chair said Monday.

Taiwan People's Party (TPP) chair and legislative caucus whip Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) said Cho pledged to provide a more comprehensive introduction of the NT$88 billion plan at a Legislative Yuan briefing so that lawmakers could better review its feasibility and if it could tackle the challenges Taiwan are facing following the tariff announcement.

Huang had criticized the Cabinet's proposal earlier in the day for containing too few details, and called on the ruling administration to conduct a comprehensive impact evaluation of America's tariff announcement first.

Chang Chi-kai (張啓楷), a TPP lawmaker and the party's deputy caucus whip, said the legislature will hold a round of negotiations convened by Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) of the main opposition Kuomintang (KMT) on Tuesday afternoon to confirm when Cho will report.

Chang said his party hopes the briefing could be held sometime this week.

The KMT's caucus whip Fu Kun-chi (傅崐萁), meanwhile, said his party supported Cho briefing lawmakers.

In fact, the KMT hopes the Cabinet can come up with more budget to the proposal in response to the announcement made by the Trump administration last week that most Taiwanese goods imported into the U.S. will face a tariff of 32 percent starting April 9, according to Fu.

Fu said he hoped Cho could make his briefing to the lawmaking body as soon as possible so that Taiwanese people could have a better understanding of exactly what business sectors will be impacted most by Trump's decision.

The KMT and TPP members made the remarks after attending a two-hour-and-15-minute cross-party meeting called by Cho in the Executive Yuan on Monday afternoon to discuss the NT$88 billion proposal.

The ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) needs the support of the main opposition KMT and smaller TPP over the proposal because the opposition holds a majority in Taiwan's 113-seat Legislature.

According to Vice Premier Cheng Li-chiun (鄭麗君), the ruling DPP government plans to spend NT$70 billion of the proposed NT$88 billion on measures such as lowering loan interest rates, reducing administrative costs and expanding tax exemptions for Taiwanese industries affected by the tariffs.

The remaining NT$18 billion will be used to support the agricultural sector through loans, interest subsidies, equipment subsidies, and other measures, Cheng said in a Friday Cabinet press event.