Reliance on China has never been riskier for Taiwan’s semiconductor sector. Industry giants like TSMC are now investing to increase production capacity in the U.S. as means of threading the needle on the American tech dispute with China. China has long exerted a gravitational pull on Taiwan’s semiconductor industry. The China market’s size, proximity, and…
As newly inaugurated President Joseph R. Biden Jr. took office last month, many questions remained about what direction U.S.-Taiwan relations would take under his leadership. While Biden and his Cabinet picks did espouse strong support for Taiwan policy during his presidential campaign, most observers agree that the opening months of his presidency will mostly be…
Taiwan appears to be making progress in pursuing a bilateral trade agreement (BTA) with the U.S. September’s visit of Under Secretary of State Keith Krach, while brief, was a strong indication of the U.S. government’s desire to move ahead on strengthening economic relations with Taiwan. Still, a lot of work needs to be done to move…
An annual report lists Taiwan-related trade issues being followed in Washington. Early each year, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) releases a country-by-country Report on Foreign Trade Barriers. The nine-page Taiwan section for 2020 provides a concise statement of the main areas of U.S.-government concern regarding elements of the bilateral trade relationship. Taiwan’s…
When it comes to U.S.-China relations, the Trump administration speaks with several voices – often conveying conflicting messages. Many in the business world have been left feeling confused about the president’s overall strategy. But one voice has been clearer and more consistent than many others, and it belongs to Vice President Mike Pence. He gave…
Before the U.S. government announcement last month that it would sell 66 F-16 Viper jet fighters to Taiwan in a deal valued at US$8 billion, there hadn’t been an American sale of advanced military aircraft to the island since the George H.W. Bush administration agreed to supply an earlier version of the F-16 in 1992….
The AmCham Taipei CEO Mission that visited Washington, D.C., this June found growing interest among American government officials in seeking ways to strengthen bilateral relations with Taiwan. As reported in this issue of TOPICS, there now appears to be greater understanding and appreciation in Washington of Taiwan’s strategic value in the Indo-Pacific as a staunch…
If you’re waiting for things to go back to the way they were a couple years ago, it’s not going to happen. That was one of the key messages we heard during this summer’s CEO Mission to Washington, D.C., formerly known as “The Doorknock.” Officials in the Trump administration along with Democrats and Republicans in…
Trade War Sends Q2 to Sluggish Start Normally June is a peak season for exports of electronics items, the bulwark of the Taiwan economy. But the value of export orders received in June fell by 4.5% from the level of the same month last year to come to US$38.5 billion, the eighth straight month to…
Momentum Slows Two key institutions in April trimmed their forecasts for Taiwan’s GDP growth in 2019, citing falling exports as global demand for consumer electronics slumped amid a prolonged U.S.-China trade war. Standard Chartered Bank cut an earlier GDP forecast of 2.5% to 2.1%, with its chief Taiwan-based economist saying that the first quarter’s 4.2%…
