Taiwan “will not agree” to making 50 percent of its semiconductors in the United States, the island’s lead tariff negotiator said on Wednesday, as Washington pressures Taipei to produce more chips on US soil.

Vice Premier Cheng Li-chiun’s remarks came after US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick said he had proposed to Taiwan a 50-50 split in chip production.

“I want to clarify that this is the US’s idea. Our negotiation team has never made a 50-50 commitment to a chip split,” Cheng told reporters in Taipei.

“Please be rest assured that we did not discuss this issue this time, and we will not agree to such a condition,” she said. (AFP)