At today's press conference, the spokesperson for China's Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) commented on recent developments in trade relations with Taiwan, the anti-dumping investigation on EU brandy, and Western export controls on semiconductor equipment.

In recent weeks, Beijing has invoked the Anti-Foreign Sanctions Law and imposed sanctions on U.S. companies and individuals for supporting "Taiwan independence" and Xinjiang-related sanctions. This is one of the few times when the invocation of China's anti-foreign sanctions law has led to concrete measures.

After completing negotiations on an investment agreement a couple months ago, Taiwan and Canada signed the agreement at the end of December.

As the result of a recently completed trade barriers investigation, Beijing announced that it would suspend tariff concessions to Taiwan under the Cross-Strait Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA). The scope of the suspension is very limited, although it may serve as an early warning for further restrictions down the road.

Last week, the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) began an investigation that was requested by the U.S. subsidiary of Chinese computer manufacturer Lenovo against its Taiwanese rival ASUS, based on an allegation that ASUS was violating Lenovo's patents.

Last Friday, China's Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) issued the final ruling in the trade barrier investigation against Taiwan, and unsurprisingly found that Taiwan's trade restrictive measures constitute trade barriers. MOFCOM did not, however, discuss what the next steps might be.

In a recent interview discussing the ongoing trade talks with Taiwan, U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai dismissed the chances of a free trade agreement that would involve traditional tariff liberalization. At the same time, Taiwanese officials and scholars continue to hope and call for a traditional trade agreement with