As the home of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), the largest contract chipmaker globally, Taiwan plays a crucial role in the international technology supply chain for major companies like Apple and Nvidia.
However, Taiwanese officials have cautioned that new tariffs from the Trump administration affecting all countries could hinder economic growth this year for the export-driven economy.
Trump has proposed a universal tariff of 10% on imports into the United States and a significantly higher 60% tariff on goods from China. In late November, he also committed to a 25% tariff on imports from Canada and Mexico upon taking office on January 20.
When questioned at a press conference about the potential impact of Trump's tariffs on Taiwan's export orders, Kuo stated that the chip industry would not be significantly affected.
"For our semiconductors and advanced processes, there is an advantage of technological leadership and that cannot be replaced, and so the impact will be small," he added.
Kuo also mentioned that Taiwan would assist companies in relocating their supply chains to the United States to avoid high import tariffs.
"Now we see that we should be able to develop the aerospace supply chain industry in the United States, and do some joining up with the U.S. aerospace companies, so that some of Taiwan's aerospace research and development centres can be moved to there."
Additionally, Taiwan plans to open an office in Japan in the first half of this year to support Taiwanese businesses in investing there and to collaborate on AI and drone technology, he added.