Taiwan does not want to impose counter-tariffs against the USA

ARCHIVE - Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te. Photo: Chiang Ying-ying/AP/dpa

Keystone

Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te has announced that he will not respond to the tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump with countermeasures. Instead, the 65-year-old held out the prospect of several accommodating measures towards the US economy during a speech.

Keystone-SDA

06.04.2025, 15:25

Among other things, Lai spoke out in favor of Taiwan importing more US products in order to reduce the trade surplus achieved by the island state. Taiwanese entrepreneurs should also invest more in the United States. Trade barriers against US companies would also be dismantled.

Donald Trump announced 32% tariffs on goods from Taiwan last week. The country, known for its high-tech products, is the USA's seventh-largest trading partner. Exports to the USA rose by 32.5 percent in 2024.

The high tariff against Taiwan came as a surprise to observers, as the island state has one of the world's leading industries for high-quality computer chips, on which the US tech companies in Silicon Valley also depend.

Taiwan is also in a precarious security situation due to the military threat from China. Beijing would like to incorporate the island. Washington has pledged to support the country's defense and regularly supplies weapons.