100% Tariff on Foreign Semiconductors Announced
Samsung and SK Hynix Brace for Tariff Impact
Trump: "Will Speak with Putin Soon"
On September 4 (local time), U.S. President Donald Trump announced that he would soon introduce a "fairly substantial" semiconductor tariff on companies that do not build factories in the United States.
President Trump made this statement in response to questions from reporters during a dinner with chief executive officers from the U.S. information technology industry at the White House.
President Trump stated, "We will impose tariffs on companies that do not enter the United States in relation to semiconductors," and added, "It won't be extremely high, but it will be a fairly substantial tariff." He further explained, "If they do come into the United States, if they come in with plans to build a factory, there will be no tariff."
President Trump had previously announced on August 6 that he would impose tariffs of about 100% on foreign-made semiconductors. However, he said that companies establishing factories in the United States would be exempt from these tariffs.
As a result, there are expectations that Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, which are currently expanding their production facilities in the United States, will avoid being directly impacted by the "semiconductor tariff." However, some caution that it is too soon to be reassured until the specific details of these measures are officially announced.
Furthermore, the individual license exemptions that have been exceptionally applied to U.S.-made semiconductor equipment brought into Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix's factories in China are scheduled to be abolished starting in January next year. This has drawn attention to the potential ripple effects of future tariff impositions.
Meanwhile, when asked whether he would soon speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin regarding negotiations to end the war in Ukraine, President Trump replied, "I will," but also commented that this negotiation is "the most difficult of the wars I have tried to resolve."
Regarding Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr., who has faced congressional hearings over vaccine immunization issues, Trump said, "He has a different take, and we want to hear all of those perspectives."
On the topic of the artificial intelligence industry, which was the main subject of the dinner, President Trump was asked about his views on North Korea, China, and Russia seeking military cooperation in AI. He responded, "I'm not worried at all. We have the most outstanding people at this table," and added, "They can copy, but they cannot create like we do."
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