Positive List/Negative List:
Two different regulatory approaches that a country uses to decide “what goods may be imported”, much like two types of access control lists.
1. Positive List: Prohibited by default; exceptions allowed.
● Logic: Only items explicitly listed are permitted to enter; anything not on the list is prohibited.
● Application: This is the strictest form of protection. Taiwan currently applies this measure mainly to agricultural products from mainland China. Only items officially approved by the government may be imported, all others are banned, in order to provide maximum protection for Taiwan’s domestic agriculture and farmers’ livelihoods.
2. Negative List: Open by default, exceptions prohibited.
● Logic: Imports are “generally allowed”, but listed items are effectively placed on a blacklist and “prohibited”.
● Application: This approach supports trade liberalization. Taiwan mainly applies this measure to industrial products from mainland China. Except for items explicitly listed as posing risks to national security or causing significant harm to domestic industries, most goods are in principle allowed to clear Customs.
