The Chinese State Council has once again criticized the relations between the US and the self-ruled island of Taiwan. On Wednesday, Zhu Fenglian, the spokesperson of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council in Beijing, warned the leadership in Taipei against trusting the government in Washington too much. The more Taiwan relies on the US, the more it will harm its own economic development.
Zhu commented on the plans of US President Donald Trump to impose tariffs on microchips and semiconductors imported from abroad. Taiwan, as one of the world’s largest microchip producers, would also be affected. The official viewed the US move as evidence of “unilateralism and protectionism” in trade, with the US always prioritizing its own interests, she emphasized.
After Trump announced his plan, the Taiwanese authorities announced that they would take countermeasures to strengthen cooperation with the US in the industrial sector. Zhu saw the announced steps as nothing more than Taiwan trying to sell itself out and curry favor with the US.
In January, the US Republican had called for the promotion of microchip and semiconductor production in the US, threatening foreign producers with tariffs as usual. Trump said that US producers had left North America to set up factories in Taiwan, but he wanted them to return. The best incentive for microchip manufacturers to build their own factories in the US at their own expense would be to impose tariffs of 25, 50, or even 100 percent on their products, according to Trump.