Deputy Trade Representative Yen Huai-shing (顏慧欣) yesterday said that the impact of the US’ proposed 100 percent tariff on semiconductors could not be accurately assessed yet, as Washington has not finalized its trade investigation.
Speaking at a Cabinet news conference, Yen said it remains unclear whether the potential tariff would apply only to end products or also include components and manufacturing equipment used in chip production.
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday said that the US would impose a tariff of about 100 percent on “all chips and semiconductors” from countries that do not manufacture chips in the US or do not plan to.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
Trump’s comments were not a formal policy announcement and he did not give any details.
The US Department of Commerce is still conducting an investigation under the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, which could lead to import taxes on semiconductors and other tech products.
Information and communications technology (ICT) products make up “a significant portion” of Taiwanese exports to the US and are included in the investigation, Yen said.
According to the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Taiwan’s ICT exports to the US — including graphics cards and servers — account for more than 70 percent of total shipments.
Yen’s made the comments after National Development Council Minister Paul Liu (劉鏡清) suggested that the tariff would likely have less impact on Taiwanese suppliers than many might expect, although he did not provide any concrete evidence.
A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck off the coast of Yilan County at 8:39pm tonight, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, with no immediate reports of damage or injuries. The epicenter was 38.7km east-northeast of Yilan County Hall at a focal depth of 98.3km, the CWA’s Seismological Center said. The quake’s maximum intensity, which gauges the actual physical effect of a seismic event, was a level 4 on Taiwan’s 7-tier intensity scale, the center said. That intensity level was recorded in Yilan County’s Nanao Township (南澳), Hsinchu County’s Guansi Township (關西), Nantou County’s Hehuanshan (合歡山) and Hualien County’s Yanliao (鹽寮). An intensity of 3 was
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The first of 10 new high-capacity trains purchased from South Korea’s Hyundai Rotem arrived at the Port of Taipei yesterday to meet the demands of an expanding metro network, Taipei Rapid Transit Corp (TRTC) said yesterday. The train completed a three-day, 1,200km voyage from the Port of Masan in South Korea, the company said. Costing NT$590 million (US$18.79 million) each, the new six-carriage trains feature a redesigned interior based on "human-centric" transportation concepts, TRTC said. The design utilizes continuous longitudinal seating to widen the aisles and optimize passenger flow, while also upgrading passenger information displays and driving control systems for a more comfortable
Taiwan's first indigenous defense submarine, the SS-711 Hai Kun (海鯤, or Narwhal), departed for its 13th sea trial at 7am today, marking its seventh submerged test, with delivery to the navy scheduled for July. The outing also marked its first sea deployment since President William Lai (賴清德) boarded the submarine for an inspection on March 19, drawing a crowd of military enthusiasts who gathered to show support. The submarine this morning departed port accompanied by CSBC Corp’s Endeavor Manta (奮進魔鬼魚號) uncrewed surface vessel and a navy M109 assault boat. Amid public interest in key milestones such as torpedo-launching operations and overnight submerged trials,
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