At the Cabinet's weekly meeting Thursday, Premier Chen Chien-jen received a report from the Executive Yuan's Office of Trade Negotiations regarding the government's response to China's allegation that Taiwan has imposed trade barriers. The premier said the process of China's trade investigation lacked openness and transparency; its unilateral judgment that Taiwan violated the Cross-Straits Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) and World Trade Organization (WTO) rules are a distortion of fact. Furthermore, it is clear from the deliberate timing of China's announcement that the investigation is more politically than economically motivated, and is in actuality an attempt at economic coercion.
The premier said Taiwan's government has already responded to China's accusations by taking comprehensive measures to manage and control the possible risks and damage. He emphasized that, as fellow WTO members, Taiwan and China can discuss the trade dispute at any time through the mechanisms and framework of the WTO if China is acting in good faith.