讀後心得

According to reports, Taiwan's National Security Council Secretary-General Wu Chao-hsieh recently arrived in the United States for secret talks with the Trump administration, marking the first use of a "special channel" since Trump's return to the White House. This channel allows both sides to discuss security issues, but it has not been publicly acknowledged. Recently, China has conducted military exercises around Taiwan, indicating an increase in military threats. Trump announced tariffs on goods from multiple countries, including Taiwan, and Taiwan is negotiating response measures with the U.S. Trump also reiterated his desire to bring the semiconductor industry back to the United States. Experts analyze that although the U.S. is enhancing its domestic chip manufacturing capabilities, TSMC may continue to produce the most advanced chips in Taiwan, as this is crucial to Taiwan's strategic interests.

According to a report by Reuters, Wu Zhaoxie, Secretary-General of Taiwan's National Security Council, has arrived in the United States and held secret meetings with the government of President Trump. The Financial Times also pointed out that Wu Zhaoxie led a delegation to the U.S. for a "special channel" meeting scheduled for Friday with officials from the Trump administration, marking the first use of this platform since Trump returned to the White House on January 20. The report mentioned that the "special channel" has been utilized by the U.S. and Taiwan for many years, but it was first revealed by the Financial Times only in 2021. This channel provides a space for Washington and Taipei officials to discuss security issues, but both sides have never publicly acknowledged or discussed this mechanism. The U.S. side has maintained a low profile regarding this channel to avoid provoking Beijing regarding Taiwan.

Recently, the Chinese military conducted a two-day military exercise around Taiwan, which included live-fire drills in the East China Sea, considered an escalation of China's military actions around Taiwan. Additionally, Trump announced reciprocal tariffs on all countries that impose tariffs on U.S. goods. Under the new policy, tariffs will start at a base rate of 10%, affecting 185 countries and regions, with certain specific countries facing higher rates; for example, goods from China, the EU, and Taiwan will be subject to tariffs of 34%, 20%, and 32%, respectively. However, reports indicate that Wu Zhaoxie's visit to the U.S. is not primarily aimed at coordinating reciprocal tariff policies, as the meeting date was set before the policy announcement.

It is reported that the Taiwanese government has sent representatives to Washington to negotiate on the reciprocal tariff issue and will strengthen the content and intensity of negotiations to address current challenges. In light of the potential impacts, the Taiwanese government currently has two important tasks: stabilizing industrial development and engaging in ongoing negotiations with the U.S. side to strive for the fairest treatment from the industry. The specific content of the negotiations will be dynamically adjusted based on the interactions between both parties, making it inconvenient to disclose publicly.

Recently, Trump reaffirmed his past views, accusing Taiwan of taking away America's semiconductor industry and stating that the U.S. previously held a dominant position in this industry but has now nearly lost everything. The U.S. Secretary of Commerce also stated that recent tariff measures do not include semiconductors and pharmaceuticals, but Trump plans to further investigate bringing these key industries, particularly the semiconductor manufacturing sector heavily reliant on Taiwan, "back" to the U.S. He emphasized that the long-standing dependency policy of the U.S. has harmed the nation's electronic manufacturing capacity and raised national security risks.

According to industry data, 92% of the world's most advanced microchips are produced in Taiwan, while the U.S. has been trying to reduce its dependence on Taiwanese chip production. In 2022, the U.S. passed the CHIPS and Science Act, investing billions of dollars into the U.S. chip industry. Last year, the U.S. Department of Commerce announced $6.6 billion in direct subsidies to TSMC's subsidiary in Arizona to build three chip plants.

Although these measures help enhance U.S. chip manufacturing capability, experts analyze that TSMC may still produce its most advanced chips in Taiwan. One expert mentioned that it is highly unlikely for Taiwanese authorities to allow TSMC to establish cutting-edge factories in the U.S., which would delay things by several years, as this is Taiwan's most strategically valuable asset. Without it, Taiwan would struggle to obtain U.S. security guarantees.

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