TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) responded to Chinese complaints over the US-Taiwan trade deal sealed this week.

After announcements in Washington and Taipei, the Chinese Embassy in the US called on the US to revoke the agreement, saying the US would bear consequences for sending the “wrong signals” to Taiwan independence forces, reported UDN. Later on Friday, China’s foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun (郭嘉昆) said China “resolutely opposes” the US making agreements with Taiwan.

MAC Vice Chair Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) responded that the deal was a mutually beneficial agreement between Taiwan and the US, which does not directly concern any third party.

He added that Taiwan has the right to make trade agreements with any country it chooses and China has no right to interfere. Based on the new trade deal, Taiwan’s tariffs for exports to the US have been reduced to 15%, which will significantly benefit industries in Taiwan. 

However, Liang said that Taiwanese businesses operating in China may still be subject to China’s tariff rate of 47%. This could have a negative impact on those companies and impact cross-strait trade. He said manufacturers can decide for themselves how to conduct their business.