Some firms may even intend to quietly pare back their investment plans. In 2017 Foxconn, a Taiwanese maker of electronics, vowed to spend $10bn on a plant in Wisconsin that would employ 13,000 people. Mr Trump visited the proposed site, proclaiming it the \u201ceighth wonder of the world\u201d. Yet after much watering down of plans, the company said last year that it had spent just $1bn on the project, and created only 1,000 jobs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Faced with American tariffs, some foreign companies could instead direct their attention elsewhere. That has been the case with Chinese firms, which bore the brunt of the duties imposed during Mr Trump\u2019s first term. The flow of greenfield FDI<\/small> from China to America slid from $8.2bn in 2016 to $6.5bn last year. According to Morgan Stanley, listed Chinese firms generated around a quarter of their foreign sales in America in 2024, down from roughly a half in 2016. Instead, they have turned to the fast-growing economies of the global south<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If Mr Trump\u2019s objective is to encourage foreign businesses to build in America, there are more effective policies at his disposal than tariffs. On the campaign trail the president also promised to slash red tape. Tortuous planning processes have long held back American manufacturing. For foreign firms, fixing those would be far more motivating.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Read it all<\/a>.<\/p> Will Trump\u2019s #tariffs<\/a> turbocharge #foreign<\/a> #investment<\/a> in America?
Companies from #Asahi<\/a> to #TSMC<\/a> are expanding production in the country\u2014for nowhttps:\/\/t.co\/ga2y1Ryoxw<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/kNAGIbbRpA<\/a><\/p>— pebbleone (@TACITWR) March 17, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote>