Taiwan's Bike Makers Saddle Up for an Uncertain Future as Tariffs Loom

TaiwanPlus News

Taiwanese bike manufactures, which rely heavily on the U.S. market, are facing a wave of uncertainty during the 90-day pause on U.S. President Donald Trump's 32% tariff on Taiwanese goods. Manufacturers are considering plans for the long term while production is surging as many U.S. customers place orders before tariffs kick in.

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00:00carbon and alloy wheels that's Jeff Chen's specialty he leads Joy Group a bike manufacturing

00:11company based in Taichung building on the legacy of his grandfather who started the

00:17business in the 70s Chen makes ties for high-end bikes that he sells to the US and Europe his is

00:24one of 900 companies in Taiwan's multi-billion US dollar bike manufacturing industry but US

00:31president Donald Trump's threat to impose a 32% tariff on imports from Taiwan a move now delayed

00:37until July has left the industry in limbo so that she is here to you to you mom no

00:44orders were dropped when the tariffs were announced on April 2 then surged a week later because of the

00:59pause as customers realized they had a small window to avoid steep levies now Taiwan's manufacturers are

01:07grappling to meet much higher demand but as Washington and Taipei negotiate a trade deal

01:12manufacturers like Chen are finding it hard to plan for the future the woman type type

01:18you know I don't know I'm gonna say so now you'll share and so you'll come on

01:23go you see the same who's a daughter's a person who's a daughter's a person who's a daughter's a person

01:26that's a man I don't know I don't know I don't know I don't know I don't know I don't know

01:31Taiwan's manufacturers have specialized in making components for final products meaning

01:40anywhere producing bicycles rely on the country for parts

01:43some analysts say even if Trump imposes tariffs on Taiwan their market is still a better option than

02:04other competitors like China the market is dominated by telling these players who else

02:10can you source because let's say your competitor would be Chinese say Chinese manufacturers in China

02:17but they they they're having a higher tariff and then also their technology and their production is

02:24not up to the stand the kind of high-end bike to require so so in this sense the game is still by

02:31the Taiwanese manufacturers Trump hopes tariffs will encourage global manufacturers to move

02:38production to the United States but that's an unlikely option for businesses like Chen's

02:43Taiwanese bike company giant says replicating production there would be nearly impossible due

02:52to higher costs and labor challenges for now as Chen waits for Washington to decide how their goods

02:58would be taxed in the US his only choice is to follow his grandfather making bike parts to keep food on his

03:06family's family's table Leon Lien and Lauren Padamore for Taiwan plus

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