Taiwan today signaled that a tariff deal with the US could come soon, after its negotiators left for the latest round of talks with Washington, saying both sides are expected to announce where they have reached a "consensus."
Taiwan, a global semiconductor powerhouse, has been in talks with the US to get the tariff on its exports cut from 20 to 15 percent.
Vice Premier Cheng Li-chiun (鄭麗君) and Minister Without Portfolio Yang Jen-ni (楊珍妮), who leads the Cabinet’s Office of Trade Negotiations, late yesterday departed for the US for a sixth round of face-to-face consultations, the Executive Yuan’s working group on Taiwan-US trade said in statement.
Photo: CNA
The aim is a further reduction in reciprocal tariffs, securing most-favored treatment for tariffs on chips and other products, promoting a better trade balance and forming a strategic partnership on the global artificial intelligence (AI) supply chain, the statement said.
"After this round of consultations, both sides are expected to publicly announce the content on where they have reached consensus," it added, without giving details.
Taiwan would then schedule a date to sign documents with the Office of the US Trade Representative and submit the deal for review in the Legislative Yuan, the statement said.
Two people familiar with the matter said an announcement on the tariffs deal could come by the end of the month.
However, Office of Trade Negotiations spokesman Benjamin Hsu (徐崇欽) said that as the delegation had only just left, it was hard to say when "results can be achieved."
"As for announcing the outcomes, that still requires agreement by both sides," he added.
The White House did not respond to a request for comment on the meetings in Washington. It was not immediately clear which US officials would take part.
A major semiconductor producer, Taiwan has said its offer to the US included help in replicating the nation’s success in building tech clusters around dedicated science parks.
Under the deal, it is expected that chipmaker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) would commit to building more facilities in Arizona, one of the people said.
TSMC has declined to comment on whether it would invest more in the US on top of the US$165 billion that it has already pledged.
Taiwan's chips are not subject to the US tariffs.
However, US President Donald Trump yesterday imposed a 25 percent tariff on certain AI chips, such as the Nvidia H200 AI processor, under a new national security order released by the White House.
Regarding that new order, Taiwan has previously held multiple discussions with the US and reached a consensus on preferential tariff treatment for semiconductors and related products, the statement said.
"After confirming this with the US side during the current consultations, our side will provide a public explanation," it said, without elaborating.
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