Taiwan is continuing tariff negotiations with US, cabinet official says

TAIPEI — Taiwan's cabinet is still negotiating for more favourable tariff rates after US President Donald Trump imposed a 20 per cent levy on the island, Vice Premier Cheng Li-chiun said on Monday (Aug 11).

"Taiwan's goal is to seek a better and more reasonable tariff rate from the US", Cheng told a news briefing, adding that negotiations with the US were continuing, and that officials were prepared to report to Taiwan's parliament on their progress.

Cheng said Taiwan was hoping to continue its tariff negotiations concurrent with a US national security probe, which is being conducted under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962.

Taiwan has the sixth-largest trade deficit with the US, with 90 per cent of that from semiconductors, as well as telecommunications and other tech products.

Taiwan's TSMC is the world's biggest contract chip maker and makes chips for tech giants such as Nvidia.

Rates for semiconductors, electronics as well as information and communication technology — which make up the bulk of Taiwan's exports to the US — will be subject to separate US sectoral tariffs and are still to be worked out.

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