Economic Minister J.W. Kuo (郭智輝) confirmed on Monday in the Legisature that Cabinet Vice Premier Cheng Li-chiun (鄭麗君) will head to the United States this week for the fourth round of talks on tariffs between Taiwan and the U.S.

Kuo says the negotiation team will strive to negotiate a better tariff than competitors such as Japan and South Korea before the current reciprocal tariff “grace period” expires on August 1. He adds that TSMC's investment of US$165 billion in the United States alone gives it significant bargaining power, which Japan and South Korea do not possess.

The U.S. is simultaneously in talks with over 180 countries. Kuo says that U.S. officials themselves believe the grace period is likely to be extended if negotiations aren’t concluded in time, though many uncertainties remain.

During Monday’s legislative meeting, DPP Lawmaker Chiu Chih-wei (邱志偉) also addressed rumors recently circulating online that Taiwan has already received notice of tariff rates of 25% to 32%, and that the government is withholding the news until after the upcoming recall votes. Chiu says he doesn’t believe this to be true, as Cheng is still going to the U.S. for talks. The economic minister agreed with Chiu’s stance and is not aware of where this false information is coming from.