Since taking office, President Donald Trump has wielded tariffs as a tool to disrupt global trade. On April 9, Taiwan’s Minister of Economic Affairs, J.W. Kuo, addressed these major shifts in international trade during a legislative session in Taiwan’s Economic Committee. However, lawmakers focused on rumors of a potential merger between GlobalFoundries and United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC), prompting Kuo to clarify that while he would not comment on market rumors, he firmly believes such a merger is not feasible.