Taiwan President Lai Ching-te said on Wednesday ahead of an announcement of sweeping import tariffs by the United States that the island is an "indispensable" member of the global supply chain and it would defend its companies' interests. Officials in President Donald Trump's administration, including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, have said that much of the focus of the reciprocal U.S. tariffs will be on 15 countries that have the highest trade surpluses with the United States. Bessent has referred to the countries as the "Dirty 15" but has not named them.