TAIPEI, TAIWAN | Taiwan accused China on Thursday of election interference and deploying "classic economic coercion" after Beijing slapped fresh tariffs on certain products from the island in a retaliatory trade measure.
Taiwan will hold a presidential election next month in a contest dominated by the self-ruled island's relations with Chinese leadership.
Beijing's decision to add tariffs comes after its Commerce Ministry announced last week that an investigation launched in April had concluded Taiwan's restriction on over 2,000 products from the mainland constituted a trade "barrier".
Twelve products from Taiwan -- including chemicals used in the plastics industry -- will see their tariff concessions suspended from January 1, 2024, said China's Customs Tariff Commission of the State Council on Thursday.
"Taiwan has unilaterally adopted discriminatory bans, restrictions and other measures on the export of mainland products," violating the Cross-Strait Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement, it said in a statement.
"We hope Taiwan will take effective measures to lift trade restrictions on the mainland," the commission said, without elaborating.
Taipei and Beijing signed the milestone cross-strait deal in 2010, a sweeping agreement to ease tariff restrictions and boost trade.
An official at Taiwan's international trade administration said Thursday that most of the 12 products would see tariffs raised to one or two percent, from zero, under a WTO member country rate.
Taiwan's Office of Trade Negotiations described the tariffs -- as well as the Chinese Commerce Ministry investigation -- as "classic economic coercion".
The office said Beijing's move was "not in line with international norms" but estimated the damage to Taiwan should be "controllable".
"All authorities have been instructed to continue to make full preparations for the risks and damages in this case... and to assist the industry not to over-rely on a single market," it said in a statement.
The office also said the Chinese investigation on trade barriers was "unfair, non-open and non-transparent".
"If China is sincere, the two sides can initiate negotiations at any time in accordance with the World Trade Organization mechanism to jointly face and resolve trade disputes," it added.
Beijing has ramped up military, diplomatic and economic pressure on Taiwan in recent years.
China claims the island as its territory to be seized one day, by force if necessary.
Taipei's Ministry of Foreign Affairs also condemned Beijing's tariffs move Thursday, calling it a "blatant attempt to interfere in Taiwan's elections", set for January 13.
