TAICHUNG (TVBS News) — The central Taiwan manufacturing hub of Taichung is scrambling to shield its export-dependent industries from potentially devastating American tariffs, with local officials unveiling a rapid response plan on Monday (April 7). Mayor Lu Shiow-yen (盧秀燕) presented a comprehensive strategy to counter the economic fallout from Washington's new trade measures, outlining four urgent initiatives: expediting a citywide survey of U.S. export orders within seven days, increasing financial support for companies seeking to diversify into non-American markets through international exhibitions, establishing labor assistance programs for affected workers, and deploying a specialized task force to provide immediate guidance to vulnerable businesses.
The emergency measures emerged from a high-stakes consultation held earlier Monday with representatives from Taichung's industrial associations, where Mayor Lu detailed both local initiatives and formal appeals to Taiwan's national authorities. Beyond municipal actions, she called on the central government to ensure continued liquidity support for affected businesses over the next twelve months and urged Taiwan's Legislature to accelerate approval of an NT$88 billion (around US$2.65 billion) assistance package aimed at mitigating economic damage. The crisis stems from U.S. President Donald Trump's April 2 announcement of a sweeping 32% reciprocal tariff on Taiwanese exports, a policy that threatens to severely impact Taichung's manufacturing ecosystem, which forms the backbone of the city's economy. Throughout the consultation, industry leaders presented a range of concerns and strategic proposals to navigate the looming trade disruption.
Among the prominent voices at the consultation was Patrick Chen (陳伯佳), chairman of the Taiwan Machine Tool and Accessory Builders' Association (TMBA, 台灣工具機暨零組件公會), who emphasized the critical importance of maintaining robust capital flows during the crisis period and cautioned against any credit tightening that could exacerbate challenges for manufacturers. His concerns were echoed and expanded upon by Lin Shou-tang (林守堂), who leads the city's "Precision Machinery Technology Park Manufacturers Association" (中市精密機械科技園區廠商協進會), a coalition representing one of Taichung's industrial heartlands. Lin advocated for the creation of a specialized task force designed specifically to bridge the gap between local businesses and the resources available at the national level, ensuring that manufacturers can efficiently navigate the complex support systems being developed.
