US FCC, White House tighten controls on power systems, raising the trust bar for Taiwanese suppliers

The US has taken steps to tighten controls on power systems and robotics equipment in line with its "America First" policy amid the latest geopolitical shifts, adding new uncertainties for Taiwanese supply chain players seeking to establish a foothold in the US. Rather than isolated natural disasters such as earthquakes and floods, the risks that companies must now face are far more structural and geopolitical in nature, according to Chung-Hua Institution for Economic Research (CIER) vice president Shin-horng Chen, who notes that US oversight is moving beyond mere market access for products, into deeper factors such as equipment origin, remote control, software and firmware transparency, and overall supply-chain trustworthiness.