The majority of Taiwanese think the nation’s semiconductor industry is a “silicon shield” and that the administration of US President Donald Trump would pressure Taiwan with tariffs, according to a public opinion poll released today by the Foundation for the People.
The poll covered international topics including US-Taiwan relations and Trump administration tariffs.
Regarding tariffs, 85.6 percent of respondents said the Trump administration would likely pressure Taiwan with tariffs in the future, with 52.8 percent believing it is very likely and 10.7 percent saying it is unlikely or impossible.
Photo: Lo Pei-de, Taipei Times
Regarding Taiwan-US trade, 40.6 percent believe trade between Taiwan and the US is fair and reciprocal, while 49 percent said it is not.
Regarding Taiwan-US trade negotiations, 62.4 percent believe the US holds the upper hand, while only 24.8 percent think Taiwan has an advantage.
As for ways to reduce Taiwan's trade surplus with the US, 59.5 percent suggested prioritizing military and weapons purchases, 41.6 percent favor petrochemical energy and nuclear power, 35.4 percent support agricultural product imports, 12.5 percent suggest automobiles and 11.5 percent propose computers and related components.
As for whether Taiwan's semiconductor industry serves as a “silicon shield” that would prompt military intervention from the US and other Western countries if China were to attack, 62.5 percent agreed and 30.8 percent disagreed.
Regarding Trump’s claim that “Taiwan stole US semiconductor business,” 88.4 percent of respondents disagreed, while only 9.5 percent agreed.
Additionally, if Trump were to demand that Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) transfer its most advanced 2nm manufacturing technology to the US, 84.8 percent of the public would oppose the transfer, while only 10.9 percent would support it.
Regarding US-Taiwan relations over the next year, 13.4 percent said they would improve, 37.4 percent said they would remain about the same and 40 percent said they would get worse.
Trump would continue to use tariffs as weapons and focus on negotiations for various deals, Deputy Legislative Speaker and foundation chairman Johnny Chiang (江啟臣) told a news conference this morning.
Taiwan cannot solely rely on TSMC and the semiconductor industry, and should formulate negotiation strategies and goals as soon as possible, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) member said.
The online poll surveyed nationals aged 20 and above around the country, gathering 1,042 responses from Tuesday to Friday last week.
It was distributed via Facebook and data were adjusted to ensure the sample aligns with the national population structure.
At a 95 percent confidence level, the margin of error was 3.03 percentage points.
Taiwan is stepping up plans to create self-sufficient supply chains for combat drones and increase foreign orders from the US to counter China’s numerical superiority, a defense official said on Saturday. Commenting on condition of anonymity, the official said the nation’s armed forces are in agreement with US Admiral Samuel Paparo’s assessment that Taiwan’s military must be prepared to turn the nation’s waters into a “hellscape” for the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA). Paparo, the commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command, reiterated the concept during a Congressional hearing in Washington on Wednesday. He first coined the term in a security conference last
Prosecutors today declined to say who was questioned regarding alleged forgery on petitions to recall Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators, after Chinese-language media earlier reported that members of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Youth League were brought in for questioning. The Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau confirmed that two people had been questioned, but did not disclose any further information about the ongoing investigation. KMT Youth League members Lee Hsiao-liang (李孝亮) and Liu Szu-yin (劉思吟) — who are leading the effort to recall DPP caucus chief executive Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) and Legislator Wu Pei-yi (吳沛憶) — both posted on Facebook saying: “I
The Ministry of Economic Affairs has fined Taobao NT$1.2 million (US$36,912) for advertisements that exceed its approved business scope, requiring the Chinese e-commerce platform to make corrections in the first half of this year or its license may be revoked. Lawmakers have called for stricter enforcement of Chinese e-commerce platforms and measures to prevent China from laundering its goods through Taiwan in response to US President Donald Trump’s heavy tariffs on China. The Legislative Yuan’s Finance Committee met today to discuss policies to prevent China from dumping goods in Taiwan, inviting government agencies to report. Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Kuo Kuo-wen (郭國文) said
The Ministry of Economic Affairs has fined Taobao NT$1.2 million (US$36,900) for advertisements that exceeded its approved business scope and ordered the Chinese e-commerce platform to make corrections in the first half of this year or its license would be revoked. Lawmakers have called for stricter supervision of Chinese e-commerce platforms and more stringent measures to prevent China from laundering its goods through Taiwan as US President Donald Trump’s administration cracks down on origin laundering. The legislature’s Finance Committee yesterday met to discuss policies to prevent China from dumping goods in Taiwan, inviting government agencies to report on the matter. Democratic Progressive Party
RSS