This seems odd, but it's also unreasonable that a small economy would be able to defend itself from competition from a large state actor. In 'free trade' deals

This seems odd, but it's also unreasonable that a small economy would be able to defend itself from competition from a large state actor. In 'free trade' deals, the big fear is you 'open up' to competition while the other nation uses massive government money to gut your industry, wipe you out and take over. That's why the legal language on Free Trade surrounds government intervention and subsidies. China is huge and this is a 'primary strategic concern' for them, they will pay anything for the individuals they need, and of course, to give Taiwan a black eye. This is literally a form of economic warfare we are seeing with a large country trying to wipe out a strategic industry in a smaller country. So the action by Taiwan is understandable, even if it seems odd to use in the West.