Peng Qing'en, a spokesperson for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office

The so-called “trade deal” reached between the US and Taiwan region is, in essence, a collusion between external forces and “Taiwan independence” separatist forces. It is a “sell-out contract” that plunders the hard-earned money of the Taiwan residents and hollows out the foundations of Taiwan’s industries, harming the future of Taiwan residents and the region’s industrial development, Peng Qing'en, a spokesperson for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, said on Wednesday.

Peng made the remarks in response to a question about the so-called “trade deal” reached between the US and Taiwan region, which US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick claimed in an interview is a “strategic imperative” for the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities to maintain US favor, rather than a purely commercial transaction. The US goal, he claimed, is to shift 40 percent of Taiwan’s entire semiconductor supply-chain capacity to the US during Trump’s term. 

Peng said that the massive investment of $500 billion amounts to about 80 percent of Taiwan’s foreign exchange reserves — equivalent to forcing every person in Taiwan to contribute NT$680,000 as a political donation to the DPP authorities’ agenda of “seeking independence by relying on external forces.” 

If 40 percent of semiconductor capacity is shifted to the US, Taiwan’s core industrial advantage will be wiped out, and the “tech island” will be reduced to a “hollow island.” The DPP authorities have gone to great lengths to conceal the heavy price that Taiwan will pay, using the hard-earned money of the island’s residents to curry favor with the US. Selling out Taiwan region and harming Taiwan—nothing could be more egregious, said Peng.

The outcome of the tariff negotiations between the US and the Taiwan region fully proves that “Taiwan independence” is a dead end and that outsiders cannot be relied upon. Without a strong motherland as backing, Taiwan can only become a piece of fat meat in the eyes of external forces — a lamb to be slaughtered at will, Peng said. 

Global Times