Taiwan will partner with Alaska Gasline Development Corporation (AGDC) on a $44 billion pipeline in a move likely to secure it a bargaining chip in tariff negotiations with the United States — and further pressure on Korea to follow suit.

The Taiwanese state-run energy company CPC Corporation and AGDC signed a letter of intent to buy liquefied natural gas (LNG) and to seek potential investment in the $44 billion project on Thursday, the country’s Ministry of Economic Affairs told the Taipei Times in a report published Friday without detailing CPC’s planned contributions.

The 1,300-kilometer (807-mile) system will transport gas from North Slope and ship up to 20 million tons of LNG annually starting as early as 2030.

Taiwan’s deal was signed in Taipei as a delegation of representatives from AGDC and Glenfarne Group, the project’s developer, embarked on a trip to Asia scheduled to run from Wednesday to March 30. The team is visiting Korea, Japan and Thailand as well, in a bid to draw in investments from U.S. allies in the region.

Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy, who is part of the delegation, will meet with Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Ahn Duk-geun on Monday as part of a two-day visit to Korea.

U.S. President Donald Trump has been aggressively pitching the project to Asian allies — namely Korea, Japan and Taiwan — urging the countries to expand LNG supplies from the United States to help reduce their trade deficits. “My administration is also working on a gigantic natural gas pipeline in Alaska, among the largest in the world, where Japan, South Korea and other nations want to be our partner, with investments of trillions of dollars each,” Trump said on March 4.

Japan has already expressed its interest in purchasing LNG from Alaska. Following a summit in Washington on Feb. 7, Trump announced that “Japan will soon begin importing historic new shipments of clean American liquefied natural gas in record numbers,” adding the countries are seeking to establish “a joint venture” for Alaskan oil and gas imports.

U.S. President Donald Trump meets with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on Feb. 7, 2025. [AP/YONHAP]

Seoul has been scrambling to gain ground in its trade negotiations with Washington, especially with the April 2 deadline for new reciprocal tariffs approaching.

Bloomberg reported on Sunday that Trump is set to unveil “widespread reciprocal tariffs” on nations, but in a more targeted than sprawling approach, citing sources familiar with the matter. Some countries could be excluded from the upcoming announcement, and no industry-specific measures will be included. The tariff measures are likely to take immediate effect.

Trump has reportedly cited Korea, along with the European Union, Mexico, Japan, Canada, India and China, as “trade abusers.”

Ahn completed another two-day visit to Washington on Friday, coming quickly on the heels of the minister’s visit three weeks ago.

Ahn met U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to once again request favorable treatment for Korea regarding the upcoming reciprocal tariff, citing the close industrial ties between the two economies.

“High-ranking officials from the Industry Ministry are making a series of back-to-back trips to the United States in order to ease rising uncertainty surrounding a round of announcements from the U.S. government,” Ahn said in a release Saturday.

During a news conference in Washington on Friday, the minister told reporters that the reciprocal tariffs will likely take effect in April.

“It appears most nations won’t be able to avoid tariffs,” he said, but added, “Addressing U.S. tariff policies is not a single-round match.”

https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/2025-03-23/business/economy/Taiwan-signs-onto-44-billion-Alaska-LNG-project-daring-Korea-to-follow/2268182