AmCham: Taiwan should seize U.S. tariff deal

Taipei, Jan. 27 (CNA) Taiwan should seize a tentative trade deal with the United States that would cap tariffs at 15 percent, the chairperson of the American Chamber of Commerce in Taiwan (AmCham) said Tuesday, after U.S. President Donald Trump said he would raise South Korea's tariff rate by 10 percentage points to 25 percent.

In a post on his Truth Social platform on Monday, Trump blamed South Korea's legislature for failing to enact a trade deal with Washington that he said he reached with South Korean President Lee Jae-myung in late July and reaffirmed in October 2025.

"We certainly don't want to see that happen," AmCham Chairperson Anita Chen (陳幼臻) said at an event in Taipei.

"We see that the trade deal between the U.S. and Taiwan is a step in the right direction and provides a framework for long-term technology cooperation" between the U.S. and Taiwan.

The 15 percent tariff rate -- down five percentage points from the rate currently imposed on Taiwanese goods -- would be part of a broader U.S.-Taiwan trade deal that has yet to be signed, as negotiations over tariffs and quotas are ongoing.

The pending trade pact is expected to be controversial, as it seeks to open Taiwan's market to American goods, including vehicles and agricultural products.

Meanwhile, AmCham President Carl Wegner said that a 25 percent U.S. tariff on South Korean goods would make Taiwanese firms more competitive.

The Kuomintang and the Taiwan People's Party -- the two main opposition parties that together hold a legislative majority -- have expressed skepticism about the agreement and the pending trade pact.

Taiwan and the U.S. also signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) during trade talks in mid-January, under which Taiwan's semiconductor and technology companies would commit to investing at least US$250 billion in the U.S.

Chen and Wegner made the remarks at the press event for AmCham's 2026 Business Climate Survey, which found that 92 percent of AmCham member companies said they would maintain or increase investment in Taiwan, up 2 percentage points from 2025.

In addition, 54 percent of respondents said they were "somewhat confident" in Taiwan's economic outlook for 2026, while 28 percent said they were "very confident," the highest level since 2022.

National security and cross-strait relations remained the top two concerns among respondents, though only 7 percent said they experienced significant disruption from cross-strait tensions in 2025, while 35 percent reported no disruption.

The survey was conducted between Nov. 18 and Dec. 21, 2025, and was completed by 206 of 411 eligible AmCham members.