REPORTER:  

Taiwan People’s Party chair Huang Kuo-chang says a tariff deal with the US is coming soon, after his whirlwind trip to Washington DC, where he met with US trade officials.

His comments come after reports that Washington plans to cut its tariffs on Taiwanese goods from 20% to 15%. In return, Taiwan is expected to invest 300 billion dollars in the US, with chip giant TSMC committing to build more fabs in Arizona.

But Huang expressed frustration over what he said was a lack of transparency during the negotiations, implying the deal would face tight scrutiny at the legislature.

Huang Kuo-chang 

TPP CHAIR 

As a Taiwanese legislator, I didn’t know the terms had already been agreed upon until I went to the US Trade Representative’s office. Besides the promised investment in the US there are other terms as well. The ensuing legislative review will be an important and serious challenge.

REPORTER:  

Other details on Huang’s meetings in the US capital are still fuzzy, but he did say he met with US defense officials to express the opposition’s concerns about President Lai Ching-te's proposed 40 billion dollar special defense budget.

Huang Kuo-chang 

TPP CHAIR 

We have made it clear to the US side that Taiwan does not only have one voice. While we support strengthening Taiwan’s defense it can’t be at the expense of Taiwan’s democracy.

REPORTER:  

The visit marks a major step for the smaller opposition party to play a role in Taiwan-US Relations, especially in defense spending. And Huang seems to want to use Washington’s understanding of his concerns about the budget to push for compromise on the legislative floor.

In response, the defense ministry told TaiwanPlus that it will continue to follow legislative procedures for the special budget.

But the TPP wants answers from someone and are asking the defense ministry to respond to questions at the legislature next week. They’ll then propose their own version of the special defense budget, with what they think Taiwan needs most.