00:00Taiwan's premier has just addressed the legislature, hoping to reassure lawmakers seeking clarity on the trade deal Taipei made with
00:07Washington.
00:07That plan was thrown into uncertainty after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned U.S. President Donald Trump's reciprocal tariffs.
00:14Our reporter Lily Lamatina has been following the debate in the legislature and comes to us live from our Taipei
00:20newsroom.
00:21Lily, what did the premier say about the trade deal?
00:27Well, Tiffany, Taiwan's premier is saying that its trade agreement with Washington remains valid.
00:33But Taipei is seeking assurance from the U.S. side that it will honor its terms.
00:38Now, Taiwan's premier, speaking at the legislature, acknowledged the uncertainty.
00:43You know, he said following the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to overturn U.S. President Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs
00:49that the environment is very much uncertain.
00:52But tariffs remain a core part of Trump's policy, and he will insist on using them just through different legal
00:58means.
00:59So the premier is still trying to convince lawmakers that there is no need to renegotiate the deal.
01:31But lawmakers also called on the government to spell out relief measures for affected industry.
01:35industries, especially small and medium-sized enterprises. Even though high-tech industries
01:41make up a big portion of Taiwan's GDP, industries like agriculture and manufacturing, they employ
01:47most of Taiwan's workforce, about 80 to 90 percent. So they want the government to take
01:53care of these smaller businesses, which they say will be most heavily impacted. Overall,
01:59opposition lawmakers are still uneasy about the uncertainty coming from the U.S. side and the
02:05potential that America will go back on its promises.
02:25Now, some opposition lawmakers are calling on Taiwan's government to renegotiate the terms
02:32of its trade deal with Washington, while others are saying that the government should at least
02:36delay the review in the legislature until there's some more clarity coming out of the U.S. side.
02:42You said the opposition questioned the premier and other officials at length.
02:46Were there any other concerns that came up during this hearing?
02:53Absolutely. Another huge concern was energy supply. This comes after the U.S. and Israel
02:59launched airstrikes on Iran, and this is putting pressure on global energy supplies. Now, Taiwan is
03:07feeling that pressure as it imports a lot of energy from the Middle East. Qatar is a major source of
03:14its
03:14liquefied natural gas imports, you know, about over 30 percent, and the country has suspended production
03:21after attacks on its facilities. Now, Taiwan's government says there's currently no shortage in the short
03:28term, but it is looking for alternative energy sources to stabilize the supply for what could
03:34be a long-term conflict with no end in sight. Thanks, Lily. That was Lily Lamatina reporting from
03:42our Taipei Newsroom.
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