Taipei ¨C Taiwan¡¯s economy soared last year on skyrocketing exports of AI hardware and semiconductors, but companies in more traditional manufacturing sectors could only look on with envy as they were clobbered by U.S. tariffs and a strong local currency.
The island¡¯s growth has for decades been based on overseas shipments of a range of goods including machinery, metals and chemicals, mostly small and medium-sized manufacturers employing thousands of workers.
But the past 12 months saw companies in those sectors dealt a body blow as their goods sold into the United States were loaded with 20% levies as part of U.S. President Donald Trump¡¯s global trade war, threatening people¡¯s jobs.
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