At the January 14 press conference of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, a reporter asked: The New York Times recently reported that people familiar with the matter said the United States is close to reaching a trade agreement with Taiwan, under which U.S. tariffs on imports from Taiwan would be lowered to 15 percent, and TSMC would make additional investments in Arizona to build at least five more semiconductor plants. Figures and public opinion in Taiwan have questioned whether the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities are “trading investment for tariffs,” which would lead to top-tier semiconductor production capacity moving to the United States and turn TSMC into “U.S. TSMC.” What is your comment?
TAO spokesperson Zhu Fenglian responded that the so-called agreement is an act of economic plunder by the United States against Taiwan using high tariffs as leverage, and a scheme to “bleed” Taiwan’s industries. This not only exposes the selfish nature of “America First,” but also lays bare the malicious intent of the United States in treating Taiwan as a pawn.
She said that when faced with the blatant bullying and plunder by external forces, the DPP authorities not only offer no resistance, but instead actively cater to them, treating the island’s core technological advantages as a “pledge of allegiance” to ingratiate themselves with outside forces. In tariff negotiations they “kneel before even negotiating,” and in the face of economic extortion they “offer the other cheek after being slapped.” The more “contracts of selling oneself” they sign, the more they will ultimately destroy Taiwan’s economic development prospects and harm the long-term interests of the people of Taiwan.