According to Taiwanese media reports on November 24, the United States has asked Taiwan to commit to a $400 billion investment as part of ongoing trade negotiations—an amount that exceeds that of the ‘Republic of Korea’.
The request surfaced as both sides near the final stage of their tariff negotiations.
Sources familiar with the matter said the US proposed that Taiwan invest roughly $400 billion, a midpoint between the commitments made by the Republic of Korea and Japan, which pledged $350 billion and $550 billion, respectively. They added that the figure includes TSMC’s US investment of about $165 billion.
Taiwan’s Office of Trade Negotiations (OTN) stated that its team is continuing to consult with the US through video conferences and document exchanges, discussing supply chain cooperation under what it calls the “Taiwan model.”
The office also emphasized that it is seeking to secure Most-Favored-Nation (MFN) status for mutual tariff reductions and for items affected by Section 232 of the US Trade Expansion Act.
Wu Cheng-Wen, the minister-level head of Taiwan’s National Science and Technology Council (NSTC), recently noted in an interview that Taiwan and the US share a common view on linking support for the development of the US semiconductor industry with tariff reductions.
He also said Taiwan has proposed sharing its experience in developing science parks—a key foundation of its semiconductor sector’s success—as part of the negotiations.
Earlier, Taiwan President Lai Ching-te commented on the 20% tariff imposed by US President Donald Trump, saying the tariff—levied even though trade talks remain unfinished—was only a provisional rate introduced during the final negotiation phase in August. He added that it does not represent Taiwan’s target and expressed confidence that the rate will be lowered in the final agreement.
