TAIWAN ANNOUNCES NEW ROUND OF IMPORT TARIFF CUTS Taiwan announced plans for another round of import tariff cuts on 862 foreign goods shortly before trade talks with Washington which officials described as a move to help balance trade with the United States. Wang Der-Hwa, Deputy Director of the Finance Ministry's Customs Administration Department, told reporters the list of products included 60 items asked by Washington. "The move is part of our government efforts to encourage imports from our trading partners, particularly from the United States," he said. He said the ministry sent a proposal today to the cabinet that the tariffs on such products as cosmetics, bicycles, apples, radios, garments, soybeans and television sets be cut by between five and 50 pct. The cabinet was expected to give its approval next Thursday and the new tariff cuts would be implemented possibly starting on April 20, he added. Taiwan introduced a sweeping tariff cut on some 1,700 foreign products last January aimed at helping reduce its growing trade surplus with the United States, the island's largest trading partner. Washington however was not satisfied with the cuts and pressed for more reductions as a way of cutting its huge trade deficit with Taipei. Washington's deficit with Taipei rose to a record 13.6 billion U.S. Dlrs last year from 10.2 billion in 1985. It widened to 3.61 billion in the first quarter of 1987 from 2.78 billion a year earlier, Taiwan's official figures show. Today's announcement came before a departure later today of a 15-member Taiwan delegation for Washington for a series of trade talks with U.S. Officials. The delegation's leader, Vincent Siew, told reporters last night he was leaving with "a heavy heart," meaning that he would face tough talks in Washington because of rising protectionist sentiments in the U.S. Congress. Taiwan's 1986 trade surplus with Washington was the third largest, after Japan and Canada. Siew said the talks, starting on April 14, would cover U.S. Calls for Taiwan to open its market to American products, purchases of major U.S. Machinery and power plant equipment, import tariff cuts and protection of intellectual property. "I am afraid this time we have to give more than take from our talks with the U.S.," he said without elaborating.