The majority of Taiwanese think the nation’s semiconductor industry is a “silicon shield” and that the administration of US President Donald Trump would pressure Taiwan with tariffs, according to a public opinion poll released today by the Foundation for the People.
The poll covered international topics including US-Taiwan relations and Trump administration tariffs.
Regarding tariffs, 85.6 percent of respondents said the Trump administration would likely pressure Taiwan with tariffs in the future, with 52.8 percent believing it is very likely and 10.7 percent saying it is unlikely or impossible.
Photo: Lo Pei-de, Taipei Times
Regarding Taiwan-US trade, 40.6 percent believe trade between Taiwan and the US is fair and reciprocal, while 49 percent said it is not.
Regarding Taiwan-US trade negotiations, 62.4 percent believe the US holds the upper hand, while only 24.8 percent think Taiwan has an advantage.
As for ways to reduce Taiwan's trade surplus with the US, 59.5 percent suggested prioritizing military and weapons purchases, 41.6 percent favor petrochemical energy and nuclear power, 35.4 percent support agricultural product imports, 12.5 percent suggest automobiles and 11.5 percent propose computers and related components.
As for whether Taiwan's semiconductor industry serves as a “silicon shield” that would prompt military intervention from the US and other Western countries if China were to attack, 62.5 percent agreed and 30.8 percent disagreed.
Regarding Trump’s claim that “Taiwan stole US semiconductor business,” 88.4 percent of respondents disagreed, while only 9.5 percent agreed.
Additionally, if Trump were to demand that Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) transfer its most advanced 2nm manufacturing technology to the US, 84.8 percent of the public would oppose the transfer, while only 10.9 percent would support it.
Regarding US-Taiwan relations over the next year, 13.4 percent said they would improve, 37.4 percent said they would remain about the same and 40 percent said they would get worse.
Trump would continue to use tariffs as weapons and focus on negotiations for various deals, Deputy Legislative Speaker and foundation chairman Johnny Chiang (江啟臣) told a news conference this morning.
Taiwan cannot solely rely on TSMC and the semiconductor industry, and should formulate negotiation strategies and goals as soon as possible, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) member said.
The online poll surveyed nationals aged 20 and above around the country, gathering 1,042 responses from Tuesday to Friday last week.
It was distributed via Facebook and data were adjusted to ensure the sample aligns with the national population structure.
At a 95 percent confidence level, the margin of error was 3.03 percentage points.
The Ministry of Education (MOE) is to launch a new program to encourage international students to stay in Taiwan and explore job opportunities here after graduation, Deputy Minister of Education Yeh Ping-cheng (葉丙成) said on Friday. The government would provide full scholarships for international students to further their studies for two years in Taiwan, so those who want to pursue a master’s degree can consider applying for the program, he said. The fields included are science, technology, engineering, mathematics, semiconductors and finance, Yeh added. The program, called “Intense 2+2,” would also assist international students who completed the two years of further studies in
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) departed for Europe on Friday night, with planned stops in Lithuania and Denmark. Tsai arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on Friday night, but did not speak to reporters before departing. Tsai wrote on social media later that the purpose of the trip was to reaffirm the commitment of Taiwanese to working with democratic allies to promote regional security and stability, upholding freedom and democracy, and defending their homeland. She also expressed hope that through joint efforts, Taiwan and Europe would continue to be partners building up economic resilience on the global stage. The former president was to first
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Monday called for greater cooperation between Taiwan, Lithuania and the EU to counter threats to information security, including attacks on undersea cables and other critical infrastructure. In a speech at Vilnius University in the Lithuanian capital, Tsai highlighted recent incidents in which vital undersea cables — essential for cross-border data transmission — were severed in the Taiwan Strait and the Baltic Sea over the past year. Taiwanese authorities suspect Chinese sabotage in the incidents near Taiwan’s waters, while EU leaders have said Russia is the likely culprit behind similar breaches in the Baltic. “Taiwan and our European
The Taipei District Court sentenced babysitters Liu Tsai-hsuan (劉彩萱) and Liu Jou-lin (劉若琳) to life and 18 years in prison respectively today for causing the death of a one-year-old boy in December 2023. The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said that Liu Tsai-hsuan was entrusted with the care of a one-year-old boy, nicknamed Kai Kai (剴剴), in August 2023 by the Child Welfare League Foundation. From Sept. 1 to Dec. 23 that year, she and her sister Liu Jou-lin allegedly committed acts of abuse against the boy, who was rushed to the hospital with severe injuries on Dec. 24, 2023, but did not
RSS