20 votes

US imports more from Taiwan than China for first time in decades

7 comments

  1. skybrian
    Link
    From the article:

    From the article:

    The US imported more from Taiwan than China for the first time in decades as President Donald Trump’s tariffs reshape trade flows while a global boom in artificial intelligence fuels demand for tech products.

    US purchases of goods from China plunged almost 44% in December from a year earlier to $21.1 billion, Commerce Department data showed Thursday. By contrast, shipments from Taiwan more than doubled during the same period to $24.7 billion.

    The soaring Taiwanese shipments to the US reflect the huge expansion in supplies of chips and servers for AI companies, which has completely changed the self-ruled island’s trade profile and propelled its near $1 trillion economy into one of the world’s fastest growing.

    5 votes
  2. [6]
    myrrh
    Link
    ...i wonder how much of that is transshipment of PRC goods through ROC?..

    ...i wonder how much of that is transshipment of PRC goods through ROC?..

    5 votes
    1. tibpoe
      Link Parent
      It's AI chips. Taiwan is still a small country, but AI chips have incredible value density.

      It's AI chips. Taiwan is still a small country, but AI chips have incredible value density.

      10 votes
    2. redwall_hp
      Link Parent
      It's dollar value, not weight. This is just purchases of GPUs, CPUs, RAM and SSDs on a massive scale, and at soaring prices. Same things, bigger scale due to tulip mania.

      It's dollar value, not weight. This is just purchases of GPUs, CPUs, RAM and SSDs on a massive scale, and at soaring prices.

      Same things, bigger scale due to tulip mania.

      8 votes
    3. stu2b50
      Link Parent
      Probably not a lot? The two countries aren’t exactly on the best of terms to begin with. That mostly occurs through Vietnam. The types of exports Taiwan and China has are very different so if you...

      Probably not a lot? The two countries aren’t exactly on the best of terms to begin with.

      That mostly occurs through Vietnam. The types of exports Taiwan and China has are very different so if you were to just proxy goods across for tax evasion it would look pretty obvious.

      The increase from Taiwan is mostly TSMC.

      6 votes
    4. CptBluebear
      Link Parent
      Not a lot but your head is in the right place. Transshipments from the PRC go through other SEA nations like Singapore and Vietnam. Taiwan exports their own things. Realistically China's exports...

      Not a lot but your head is in the right place. Transshipments from the PRC go through other SEA nations like Singapore and Vietnam. Taiwan exports their own things.

      Realistically China's exports to the US have dipped but not to this level. I'd not be surprised if through transshipping they still export more than Taiwan.

      5 votes
    5. sparksbet
      Link Parent
      Taiwan exports much more heavily to the PRC than vice-versa iirc

      Taiwan exports much more heavily to the PRC than vice-versa iirc