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Chinese Taipei's RTA with New Zealand was signed on 10 July 2013 and entered into force on 1 December 2013. (…) The Agreement incorporates services commitments which go beyond the scope of those scheduled under the GATS (Section 4.4). The Agreement, inter alia, also contains provisions on (...) environment issues (...)

Chinese Taipei has been a member of APEC since 1991. In November 2017, APEC member economies reaffirmed their commitment to achieve free and open trade and investment in the region by 2020. The members pledged to continue working together to (…) enhance food security and sustainable agriculture in response to climate change (...)

(…) Chinese Taipei continues to use government procurement to support (…) environment friendly products (…) for contracts not subject to commitments under international agreements (e.g. GPA). (…)

(…) under the amendment of the Customs Import Tariff on 9 December 2015 the tariff rates on APEC Environmental Goods and rehabilitation vehicles for the disabled were eliminated so that physically challenged people can receive more convenient transportation services and exports of green products can be promoted accordingly.

During the review period, the regulatory framework governing import prohibitions, restrictions, and licensing has remained largely unchanged. [38]

[55] The relevant legislation includes (…) the Regulations on Import and Export of Endangered Species of Wild Fauna, Flora and Related Products; (...)

Since its previous TPR, Chinese Taipei has expanded the scope of its import bans which increased from 70 ten-digit HS items (2013) to 91 (March 2018), involving 39 agricultural (HS 1 24) and 52 industrial (HS 25-97) items, mainly whale sharks, puffer fish, narcotics, toxic chemicals, hazardous wastes, HCFC (hydrochlorofluorocarbon) compounds, fire extinguishers containing HCFC and waste lead acid accumulators that are subject to trade restrictions under international agreements. (...)

During the review period, Chinese Taipei's import licensing requirements and procedures remained largely unchanged. As of April 2018, import permits were required for 131 (126 in 2014) items most of which were related to requirements of international agreements (e.g. CITES) and TRQs (Section 3.1.3.5), essential security as well as protection of culture, human health and the environment (Table 3.3); 98.9% of all incoming commodities (11,507 items) were exempt from import permit requirements. The authorities indicated that the coverage of non-automatic import licensing increased mainly due to the fact that the Council of Agriculture added alien invasive species as non-importable goods to protect the environment. Import licences (e.g. import permits or import clearance certificates) for any import of an f.o.b. value of US$20,000 or above are issued by the BOFT. Prior to applying for a licence, importers must obtain approval from the relevant sector specific authority (Table 3.3). An import licence is valid for six months from its issuance, and may be extended for a maximum of 18 months. No licensing fees, other administrative charges or deposit are required. Import licences are not transferable.

Table 3.3 Prior approval requirement for import licenses, 2018
Goods Approval authority Rationale
Methyl bromide; HCFCs Environmental Protection Administration To comply with obligations set out in the Montreal Protocol
(…)
Yellow-fin tuna; Bluefin tuna; Southern Bluefin tuna; Swordfish; Big-eye tuna Fisheries Agency To protect marine ecology
(...)
Oil and petroleum products Bureau of Energy To promote the sound development of the oil industry; to develop the domestic economy and enhance people's livelihoods; to protect the environment
Fishing boats Fisheries Agency To maintain the sustainability of fishery resources
(...)

As at July 2017, exports of 42 (35 in 2014) products at HS 10-digit level (of which 20 agricultural items (HS 1-24)) were prohibited (Table A3.4), mostly in line with international conventions requirements or to protect human health, culture, and the environment (e.g. toxic chemicals, warfare, and whale shark, poisonous herbs, and antiques over 100 years old); in addition, sand pebbles and gravels are banned from export on the ground of environmental protection. No temporary or seasonal export bans were in place during the period under review.

As at April 2018, export licensing/permit requirements affected 23 (37 in 2014) products at the HS 10 digit level (of which 3 agricultural items (HS 1-24) from 1 November to 31 March each year) (Table A3.5). Besides controlled chemicals (e.g. CFC), diamonds and equipment for semi conductors are also subject to export licensing. (...)