Taiwan will not accept 'unfair' U.S. chip tariffs: Minister

Taipei, Feb. 26 (CNA) Economics Minister Kuo Jyh-huei (郭智輝) said Wednesday that the government's bottom line in the negotiations with the United States is that "unfair" tariffs on Taiwan's chips "will not be accepted."

Kuo declined to expand on the comments, saying that any elaboration may affect the results of ongoing negotiations.

The minister described the tariff issue as a "negotiation strategy" of U.S. President Donald Trump.

Kuo said it was more important to focus on what Trump hopes to gain, adding that as the U.S. president wants fair competition, tariff negotiations were the quickest route.

According to Kuo, he has hosted discussions with hundreds of businesses on U.S. tariffs and their possible influence on Taiwan's industries.

The minister added that he had taken note of the basic demands and issues of concern voiced by the businesses and provided them to Taiwan's negotiations team for reference.

"Taiwan is helping your [trade partners] industries to make money, not making money from you," he said, adding that it would benefit Taiwan's participation in international tech and economic events if its trade partners understood that.

Deputy Economics Minister Cynthia Kiang (江文若) has gone to the U.S. to collect information to more accurately pinpoint what the other party wants and enhance future negotiation success, Kuo added.

On Tuesday, Kuo told the Legislature that a 100 percent tariff was "not unnecessarily unreasonable."

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said in a news statement that the government's primary concern was fair practices that allow Taiwan to maintain its advantages over its competitors.