(Feb 3): Taiwan’s government pledged to help companies with Mexico operations such as iPhone maker Foxconn Technology Group shift production lines and investment as needed to deal with higher US tariffs.

The island’s Economic Ministry said in a statement it will help firms deal with potential supply disruptions, after US President Donald Trump signed orders imposing across-the-board tariffs of 25% on imports from neighbouring countries.

Taiwanese firms like Foxconn, also known as Hon Hai Precision Industry Co, anchor the global electronics production chain by assembling servers and gadgets for most of the world’s biggest tech names. Many Taiwanese companies now also manufacture artificial intelligence (AI) servers or make parts for those devices in Mexico, to get closer to the US market.

Foxconn said last year it was building the world’s largest assembly site for servers powered by Nvidia Corp’s GB200 chips in Mexico. Other Taiwanese partners to the US AI chip designer include Inventec Corp, which also operates plants in that country.

Shares of Foxconn fell as much as 9.2% in Taipei on Monday, while Inventec slumped as much as 8.5%, their biggest intraday declines since August.

“We may organise delegations to attend SelectUSA events, and help Taiwanese companies secure support from the local government when they add investments in the US to create a win-win business model for both US and Taiwanese supply chains,” the Ministry of Economic Affairs said in a texted statement late on Sunday, responding to the potential impact of Trump’s move on Mexico.

Taiwan’s investments in Mexico will have reached US$4 billion (RM17.96 billion) by 2025, according to Taiwan’s representative office in Mexico. Its companies will have employed some 70,000 in the country since 1999.

After Trump’s election in November, Foxconn and Taiwanese peer Quanta Computer Inc both added investments in the US. Foxconn has secured land in California, Wisconsin and Texas, while Quanta’s board approved a US$230 million capital increase for its US unit.

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