‘Treated like servants’: Taiwan on edge as US tariff deadline passes

Anxiety is running high in Taiwan as the island nervously awaits the outcome of its tariff negotiations with the United States, amid growing concern it could be hit with duties of 25 per cent or higher – well above the 10 per cent rate Taipei had hoped for.

The worry stems from US President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariff regime, announced in April, which gave trade partners 90 days to negotiate new terms or face tariffs mirroring those imposed on US exports. With the grace period now over, Washington has unveiled a first batch of 14 trade partners – most facing tariffs between 25 and 40 per cent. Taiwan was notably absent from the list.

Government officials have framed the omission as a sign that negotiations are still ongoing. But critics have warned it may simply mean Taiwan would face a potentially harsher second round.

“If things were going smoothly, we would have heard good news by now,” Wang Yu-min, deputy whip of the opposition Kuomintang (KMT) legislative caucus, said on Tuesday. “Vice-Premier Cheng Li-chun flying to the US twice in two weeks suggests the talks are not going well.”

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The island’s cabinet said it had yet to receive an official notification from Washington. “Vice-Premier Cheng is currently in the US, leading a government negotiation team for continued discussions,” spokeswoman Michelle Lee said. Cheng left for Washington on July 5, less than two weeks after she led the second round of in-person talks on June 25.

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