Taipei: Taiwan’s Premier, Cho Jung-tai, told lawmakers on Tuesday that his government has no information on any collaboration with South Korea regarding U.S. tariffs proposed on semiconductors. Speaking in Taiwan’s legislature, Cho clarified that Taipei is pursuing direct negotiations only with Washington, rejecting notions of a trilateral alignment on the issue.
The statement comes in response to remarks from South Korea’s Trade Minister, Yeo Han-koo, who recently suggested there was “room for cooperation” between Seoul and Taipei to secure favorable treatment under U.S. tariff measures.
Cho emphasized that although Taiwan and South Korea are both major players in the global semiconductor industry, their competition is relatively “benign”, rather than adversarial. He added that Taiwan’s trade negotiators are focused squarely on bilateral engagement, rather than regional coalition-building.
At present, Taiwan exports to the U.S. face a 20% tariff, but notably, semiconductors are not currently subject to this levy. Cho said Taiwan hopes to negotiate a reduction in these duties, even as the current exclusion of chips from the tariff has been a key point in talks.
This development occurs amid broader trade discussions: Taiwan and the U.S. have advanced technical consultations, exchanged critical documents, and expressed mutual optimism about deeper cooperation, according to the Taiwanese delegation at the recent APEC summit.
Analysts suggest Cho’s remarks serve a dual purpose signaling Taiwan’s autonomy in trade policy, and reassuring Washington of its commitment to negotiate in good faith. For Taiwan, a continent whose semiconductor industry is central to its economy and a key strategic asset globally maintaining control over how it engages with both the U.S. and its regional rivals is politically and economically crucial.