Taiwan Execs Still See Opportunity in U.S. Despite Uncertainties

TaiwanPlus News

Taiwan Premier Cho Jung-tai has echoed President Lai Ching-te, reassuring the public that the U.S. has not pressured Taiwan into appreciating its currency as part of ongoing tariff negotiations. Meanwhile, local entrepreneurs are banding together to share tips about investing overseas, something they say is needed to survive.

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00:00Taiwan's Premier Zhou Rongtai works to reassure the public after the local currency's steep

00:11appreciation adds to the uncertainty of ongoing tariff negotiations with the U.S.

00:17Officials from both countries met in D.C. last week for their first in-person talks,

00:23and the Premier is optimistic.

00:30The U.S. has been negotiating for weeks now with dozens of countries about the tariffs.

00:41U.S. President Donald Trump says there could very well be trade deals to disclose soon,

00:47something he said last week and the week before.

00:50Despite the uncertainty, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Besant is doubling down on the tariffs'

00:56stated goal, to revive American manufacturing.

01:00Tariffs are engineered to encourage companies like yours to invest directly in the United States.

01:06Make your products here. You'll be glad you did.

01:10As officials work on securing a deal, Taiwanese entrepreneurs are putting their heads together

01:15to protect their businesses. At a recent forum in southern Taiwan, executives from a range of

01:22sectors got together to exchange ideas on how to globalize their businesses, a necessary step,

01:28they say, to survive.

01:31I think everybody knows that we are an island type of country, so we have only 20 million people

01:36on the decline still, so there's no way we can go except going abroad.

01:42At the event, hosted by Taiwanese alumni of the University of Michigan, executives shared their

01:47experiences operating in places like Vietnam, Germany and the United States.

01:53Casey Kong helps Taiwanese firms invest in the state of Michigan. He says fears that U.S.

01:59production costs will be higher than Asia are valid, but that this does not mean investments won't pay off.

02:07Certainly they will be winner and loser. Higher costs don't always translate into higher margin,

02:13but in this case, I think if you focus on the U.S. market, maybe the new change might create more

02:22additional opportunity that's not currently in their business plan.

02:26Alan Cheng also assists Taiwanese investors looking to expand in the U.S.

02:31He says entrepreneurs need to fundamentally shift their business approach, emphasizing soft-scale

02:37traits like courage and confidence to get a good deal.

02:41As Taiwanese businesses wait to see what Taipei and Washington officials settle on,

02:58they're also taking matters into their own hands, determined to find ways to diversify,

03:03to survive in an evolving economy.

03:06Kamashu, Joseph Wu and Joyce Sen for Taiwan Plus.

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