Taiwan said its negotiators are drafting a joint statement with the US on their bilateral trade deal, appearing to make some long-awaited progress just a day ahead of Donald Trump’s tariff deadline.

The countries hit hardest by these new tariffs are Syria at 41%, Myanmar at 40%, and Laos also at 40%. Goods that have been transhipped (in this case, that means moved from a high tariff country to a low tariff one, to avoid extra charges) are subject to a blanket tariff of 40%.

Taiwan’s top trade negotiators touched down in Washington, DC, this week for their fourth round of talks with the Trump administration. Vice Premier Cheng Li‑chiun and lead negotiator Yang Jen‑ni arrived in the U.

President Trump’s announcement on Thursday of a new tariff rate of 20 percent on Taiwan’s exports to the United States comes when ties between Taipei and Washington are already particularly strained.

The 20% tariff on Taiwanese exports to the US has been described as “temporary” by Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te, who addressed reporters on Friday, and reiterated he will continue advocating for a “reasonable” rate.