Customs duty from Taiwan to China: Import Duty Guide

Key Takeaways

• ECFA gives preferential tariffs on a limited “early harvest” list of Taiwanese goods, not comprehensive coverage - it was never a full free trade agreement even before the 2024 suspensions.
• China suspended preferential treatment on roughly 146 items - about 30% of the early-harvest list, covering petrochemicals, textiles, machinery, steel and other metals, and transport equipment - across two actions in January and June 2024, citing Taiwan’s political direction.
• As of the most recent confirmable report (30 June 2026), the suspension remained in place with no further change reported - but this is genuinely the most politically fast-moving agreement this site tracks.
• Taiwan’s ECFA-covered exports to China fell to $13.1 billion in 2025, just 13.1% of Taiwan’s total exports to China - down sharply from 26.3% in 2016, reflecting both the suspensions and broader diversification.
• Semiconductors and electronic components dominate Taiwan’s overall exports to China, a category largely outside ECFA’s early-harvest list and unaffected by the 2024 suspensions.

Taiwan-China Trade at a Glance

Taiwan’s total exports to China and Hong Kong combined reached $170.48 billion in 2025, up 13.2% year on year and representing 26.6% of Taiwan’s total exports (Focus Taiwan, citing Taiwan’s Ministry of Finance) - though this figure combines China and Hong Kong together, and a clean China-only total wasn’t independently available for this page. Separately, Taiwan’s exports specifically covered by ECFA’s preferential terms fell to $13.1 billion in 2025, just 13.1% of Taiwan’s exports to China - the lowest share since ECFA took effect, down from 26.3% in 2016 (Taipei Times, citing Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council).

Is There a Trade Deal Between Taiwan and China? (A Genuinely Volatile Situation)

Yes, but with a significant and ongoing complication worth understanding clearly. The Cross-Strait Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) has been in force since 2010, but it only ever covered a limited “early harvest” list of goods - it was never a comprehensive free trade agreement even at its broadest. Since 2024, China has partially suspended even that limited coverage: preferential tariff treatment on 12 petrochemical items was suspended effective 1 January 2024, followed by a further 134 items - spanning petrochemicals, textiles, machinery, steel and other metals, and transport equipment - effective 15 June 2024, together covering roughly 146 items, about 30% of the entire early-harvest list. Beijing has cited Taiwan’s political direction as the reason for these suspensions (Focus Taiwan; Xinhua).

As of the most recent confirmable report, dated 30 June 2026, no further suspension or reinstatement had occurred since the 2024 actions - the partial suspension remains in effect, not a full termination of ECFA (Taipei Times). This is genuinely the most politically volatile trade relationship this site tracks, given the fast-moving state of cross-strait relations - verify current status directly before relying on this page for a specific product category, especially anything in the affected sectors.

How Much Will You Pay Importing from Taiwan to China?

For goods on ECFA’s early-harvest list that haven’t been suspended, preferential (often 0%) treatment should still apply. For the roughly 146 suspended items - concentrated in petrochemicals, textiles, machinery, steel and other metals, and transport equipment - standard MFN duty applies instead, with no ECFA preference. Semiconductors and electronic components, Taiwan’s largest overall export category to China, generally sit outside the early-harvest list entirely and were not directly affected by the 2024 suspensions. Outside of tariff status, standard China-side mechanics apply: orders under the postal regime pay a bundled 13/20/50% tax on declared goods value (waived if the tax owed is RMB 50 or less, capped at RMB 2,000 per shipment), while CBEC-qualifying orders pay 0% duty plus VAT and consumption tax at 70% of the standard rate.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is ECFA still in force?

Yes, in a partial sense - the agreement itself hasn’t been terminated, but China suspended preferential treatment on about 30% of the early-harvest list across two actions in 2024, and that suspension remained in place as of the most recent confirmable report in mid-2026.

Which products are affected by the suspension?

Roughly 146 items concentrated in petrochemicals, textiles, machinery, steel and other metals, and transport equipment - not Taiwan’s largest export category to China (semiconductors and electronics), which sits outside ECFA’s early-harvest list.

Why did China suspend part of ECFA?

Beijing cited Taiwan’s political direction as the stated reason for the January and June 2024 suspensions - a political rather than purely economic trade action.

Is this relationship likely to change again?

Given how fast-moving cross-strait relations have been, yes - this is flagged as the most volatile agreement this site tracks, and the current partial-suspension status should be verified directly rather than assumed to be permanent.