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

Canada and Taiwan have completed their 10 month long negotiations on a foreign investment agreement, although the text has not yet been released and some "legal scrubbing" still needs to take place.

Today, China's Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) announced that it will extend a trade barrier investigation against Taiwan's import bans for another three months.

Senator James Lankford (R-OK) has introduced a bill that would use Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) as leverage to deter Chinese coercion and military aggression against Taiwan.