US President Donald Trump slapped a 32% toll on Taiwanese products in April. It was later paused for 90 days, but a global 10% levy is still in place.

As Taipei and Washington negotiate a trade deal, American companies have ramped up orders of Taiwanese-made high-tech products in case the higher tariff takes effect next month.

Taiwanese shipments to the US soared 87.4% in May from a year ago to US$15.5 billion, finance ministry figures showed.

Both figures were a record high, Bloomberg News reported.

Taiwan’s total exports hit US$51.7 billion – also the highest ever.

Shipments of information, communication and audio-video products soared 111.1% and electronic parts were up 28.4%, the data showed.

The overall growth “was impressive but I would caution that a lot of it is because of export frontloading as the US may still apply tariffs on chips and exempted electronic products,” Michelle Lam, Greater China economist at Societe Generale SA, was quoted by Bloomberg as saying.

“We are bound to see a slowdown later in the year,” Lam said.

Taiwan’s government has sought to avoid Trump’s threatened levies by pledging increased investment in the US, more purchases of US energy and greater defence spending.

Its trade surplus with the US is the seventh highest of any country, reaching US$73.9 billion in 2024.

Around 60% of Taiwan’s exports to the US are information and communications technology products, including semiconductors.