Countries and corporations such as South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan have urged the U.S. government to exercise restraint, stating that the tariffs under consideration by the U.S. could lead to increased expenses and supply chain instability in the semiconductor industry.
According to the U.S. Federal Register on the 21st (local time), the Department of Commerce received 206 opinions related to the ongoing 'Trade Expansion Act Section 232' investigation targeting imported semiconductors, semiconductor manufacturing equipment, and derivative products as of the 7th.
The South Korean government emphasized that Korea primarily exports memory semiconductors to the U.S., while importing logic chips and semiconductor manufacturing equipment, creating a mutually complementary relationship, and argued that tariffs could undermine this relationship and ultimately weaken the U.S. semiconductor industry.
In particular, it highlighted that South Korea's high-bandwidth memory (HBM) and advanced DRAM are essential components for the expansion of U.S. artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure and urged the U.S. government to take a 'strategic and cautious approach.'
Moreover, South Korean corporations building semiconductor plants in the U.S. noted that they have no choice but to import semiconductor manufacturing equipment and materials for the time being, suggesting that tariffs could negatively impact their investments in the U.S. and requested 'special consideration' for South Korea.
The Korea Semiconductor Industry Association also submitted a statement similar to that of the government. The Japanese government emphasized that no single country can internalize the entire semiconductor value chain and that tariffs will burden U.S. semiconductor users and design companies.
Japan also stated that it will cooperate with efforts to strengthen the U.S. semiconductor supply chain and urged reconsideration of tariffs on manufacturing equipment, materials, and derivative products.
The Taiwanese government called for Taiwanese semiconductors to be excluded from tariffs, stating that Taiwan is 'an essential partner in making America great again.'
Taiwan's TSMC requested that corporations, including TSMC, which have already pledged investments in semiconductor manufacturing in the U.S., be exempt from tariffs and other import restrictions.
The Chinese government criticized the U.S. for using the expanding notion of 'national security' since 2017 as a pretext to implement protectionist measures such as additional tariffs on steel, aluminum, automobiles, and their parts.
It also claimed that the U.S. investigation violates World Trade Organization (WTO) regulations and that the U.S. has secured an unfair competitive advantage by excessively protecting its semiconductor industry through significant subsidies in recent years.
The European Union (EU) expressed significant concern that the U.S. is attempting to protect specific industrial sectors from foreign competition under the pretext of national security.
It emphasized that unilateral measures that destabilize the semiconductor supply chain and restrict trade could undermine the cooperation, trust, and trade and investment relations between the EU and the U.S., and thus should be restrained.