Taiwan, still without a tariff deal, talks trade with US at APEC

GYEONGJU, South Korea (Reuters) -Taiwan's top trade negotiator said on Thursday that she had met with a senior U.S. trade official on the sidelines of the APEC summit in South Korea, but could not provide any details of what they discussed.

Taiwan's exports to the United States are subject to a 20% tariff, though Taiwan has been in negotiations to get that reduced, which have yet to conclude. Semiconductors, a key Taiwanese export, are currently excluded from the tariffs.

Jenni Yang told reporters in South Korea's Gyeongju, where the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit is taking place, that she had had "exchanges" with Deputy United States Trade Representative Rick Switzer.

However, she said that she could give no details and that the content of the talks would be released in due course.

The United States Trade Representative Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent outside of Washington office hours.

Taiwan, which dominates the production of advanced semiconductors powering the AI boom, has rejected a proposal floated in U.S. media last month by U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick for a 50-50 split in making chips.

But Taiwan has said it is considering forming a high-tech strategic partnership with the U.S., which wants increased Taiwanese investment.

Taiwan, home to the world's biggest contract chipmaker TSMC, runs a large trade surplus with the United States.

(Reporting by Eduardo Baptista; Writing by Ben Blanchard and Tomasz Janowski)

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