President Donald Trump harshly criticized Taiwan, saying it "has weakened America's semiconductor industry," just after a court ruling invalidated his tariffs. The remarks came shortly after Taiwan promised massive investments in the United States, spreading anxiety worldwide.
On the 22nd (local time), the South China Morning Post reported that Trump claimed at a press conference following the tariff ruling that "Taiwan entered the semiconductor sector and stole America's chip business." He alleged that Taiwanese companies are building factories in Arizona, Texas, and other U.S. states "to avoid tariffs."
Trump has made similar claims multiple times in the past. However, relations between the two sides appeared to improve earlier this year when Taiwan promised $500 billion (approximately 690 trillion won) in U.S. investments in exchange for reducing its tariff rate from 20% to 15%. But less than 24 hours after the tariff invalidation ruling, Trump announced he would raise tariffs from 10% to 15% and turned his criticism toward Taiwan.
Zhou Yonghong, a politician from Taichung, Taiwan, said in a TV appearance: "This tariff ruling could make China very happy. It will be a blow to Taiwan, which has put much effort into reaching a tariff agreement with the United States."
At the press conference, Trump claimed that American semiconductor companies including Intel could have grown into the world's largest firms, but Taiwan blocked them. He repeatedly criticized Taiwanese companies for building factories across the U.S., including in Arizona and Texas, saying this was merely to avoid tariffs.
Li Zhengwei, chief economist at TS Financial Holdings, noted the ruling came at a time when Taiwan's exports to the U.S. are rising amid the global artificial intelligence boom. According to Nikkei Asia, Taiwan's semiconductor exports to the U.S. reached approximately $24.7 billion (34 trillion won) in December, surpassing China ($21.1 billion, 29 trillion won) for the first time.
"If the Trump administration's use of executive measures is restricted, it will have no choice but to rely on hardline tools such as Section 301 of the Trade Act, reducing room for negotiation," Li analyzed. He predicted that regulations on semiconductors, AI hardware, labor conditions, and pricing will intensify as the U.S. pursues "economic security regime building."