Taiwanese exporters are being warned that a product certified as "Made in Taiwan" at home can still be judged as coming from somewhere else once it reaches the US, which is bad news for firms relying on light assembly work.

• US customs decides origin case by case, with no fixed formula for what counts as real manufacturing.
• Simple repacking, relabeling, or basic assembly in Taiwan is not enough to make a product Taiwanese.
• To qualify at home, goods must change tariff category or add more than 35% of their value in Taiwan.
• False origin labeling can bring heavy fines, forced closure, and loss of trading licenses.
• The White House has listed Taiwan among 40-plus economies flagged as possible routes for dodging US tariffs.

Outlook: Taiwan will face growing pressure to prove its supply chains are clean, and exporters should expect tighter origin checks on US-bound goods.