TAIPEI: Taiwan’s exports to the United States hit a record high in May, official data showed Monday, as the self-ruled island seeks to strike a deal with Washington to avoid hefty tariffs.
US President Donald Trump slapped a 32 percent toll on Taiwanese products in April. It was later paused for 90 days, but a global 10 percent levy is still in place.
As Taipei and Washington negotiate a trade deal, American companies have ramped up orders of Taiwanese-made high-tech products in case the higher tariff takes effect next month.
Taiwanese shipments to the United States soared 87.4 percent in May from a year ago to US$15.5 billion, finance ministry figures showed.
Both figures were a record high, Bloomberg News reported.
Taiwan’s total exports hit US$51.7 billion -- also the highest ever.
Shipments of information, communication and audio-video products soared 111.1 percent and electronic parts were up 28.4 percent, the data showed.
The overall growth “was impressive but I would caution that a lot of it is because of export frontloading as the US may still apply tariffs on chips and exempted electronic products,“ Michelle Lam, Greater China economist at Societe Generale SA, was quoted by Bloomberg as saying.
“We are bound to see a slowdown later in the year.”
Taiwan’s government has sought to avoid Trump’s threatened levies by pledging increased investment in the United States, more purchases of US energy and greater defence spending.
Its trade surplus with the United States is the seventh highest of any country, reaching $73.9 billion in 2024.
Around 60 percent of Taiwan’s exports to the United States are information and communications technology products, including semiconductors.
