TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A poll released Friday showed the public had mixed opinions on the government's response to US tariffs.

The Taiwanese Public Opinion Foundation Poll surveyed 1,080 people between Monday to Wednesday and found that around 44% of respondents favored President Lai Ching-te’s (賴清德) response and about 41% did not. A further 15% had no opinion or did not know.

When the poll was taken, Lai had said the tariff was unreasonable and asked the Cabinet to coordinate with all government departments to respond. He added that Taiwan had no plans to retaliate with tariffs against US goods, and said Taiwanese companies' investments in the US would not change so long as they were in the national interest.

Opinions on Lai's response mostly reflected party affiliation. Around 74% of DPP supporters said they approved of Lai’s response, and about the same number of KMT supporters said they did not. About 22% of supporters of the minor TPP said they approved of the response.

Premier Cho Jung-tai announced NT$88 billion (US$2.66 billion) in aid for affected industries in response to the tariffs. About half of the respondents said they approved of this, about 39% said they did not, and the remainder said they had no opinion or did not know.

The Cabinet approved the fund on Thursday, and Cho said companies could begin applying for assistance next week. The fund will provide business loans and support for exporters to access different markets, among other things.  

US President Donald Trump temporarily cut tariffs on Taiwan goods from 32% to 10% on Wednesday as he rolled back the import tax on most countries. Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said on Thursday that Taiwan has contacted the US for trade talks.