US and Taiwan sign $250B trade deal, cutting tariffs on Taiwanese goods

Group 1 - The United States and Taiwan have reached a trade deal that reduces tariffs on Taiwanese goods in exchange for $250 billion in new investments in the U.S. tech industry [1][4] - The tariff on Taiwanese goods has been reduced from an initial 32% to 20%, and now to 15%, aligning it with rates for other U.S. trading partners in the Asia-Pacific region [2] - The U.S. Department of Commerce described the deal as a "historic trade deal" aimed at reshoring America's semiconductor sector and establishing "world-class" U.S.-based industrial parks [3] Group 2 - Taiwan's companies are set to invest $250 billion in sectors including semiconductors, artificial intelligence, and energy, with certain imports from Taiwan being exempt from tariffs [4] - Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp. (TSMC), the world's largest chipmaker, announced plans to increase capital spending by nearly 40% this year, following a 35% increase in net profit for the latest quarter [6] - TSMC reported a net profit of 506 billion new Taiwan dollars (approximately $16 billion) for the October-December quarter, exceeding analysts' expectations [7]