China is considering more trade measures against Taiwan, it said The Commerce Ministry said this comes two days after Beijing criticized a speech by Taiwan President Lai Ching-te, Reuters reported.
The ministry's announcement said Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party had not taken any practical measures to remove the "trade restrictions" in mainland China and for this reason Beijing is also considering measures in this direction.
In his National Day keynote speech on October 10, Lai said the People's Republic of China had no right to represent Taiwan, but that the island was ready to work with Beijing against challenges such as climate change.
Saturday's announcement from China's Ministry of Commerce could herald tariffs or other forms of economic pressure against the island in the near future.
China's Taiwan Affairs Office, which said Thursday that Lai's speech promoted "separatist ideas" and inciting confrontation, responded to the announcement by saying the root cause of the trade dispute was Lai's party authorities' "stubborn adherence to the position of 'Taiwan independence'". ".
In May, China reinstated tariffs on 134 items it imports from Taiwan after Beijing's finance ministry said it would suspend rebates on the items under a trade agreement because Taiwan did not reciprocate.
The China-Taiwan Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement was originally signed in 2010, and Taiwanese officials previously told Reuters that China was likely to put pressure on Lai by ending some of the preferential trade terms in him.