*

Taiwan hit by 32% tariffs by President Trump

*

Taiwan says won't retaliate, seeks talks with US

*

Taiwan stock market hits near 15 month low

(Updates closing stock prices in paragraphs 10-11)

TAIPEI, April 9 (Reuters) - Taiwan hopes that it can

come to a quick agreement with the United States to resolve

tariffs and has already approached Washington to discuss the

issue, a senior Taiwanese official said on Wednesday.

Taiwan has responded to U.S. President Donald Trump's 32%

tariff on the island with an offer of zero tariffs, as well as

to invest more and buy more from the United States. Taipei has

said it will not retaliate.

Speaking to reporters at parliament, Taiwan National

Security Bureau Director-General Tsai Ming-yen said the

government's position was not to take retaliatory measures, but

to come up with more specific solutions.

President Lai Ching-te has instructed officials to initiate

"strategic communication" between Taiwan and the United States,

he added.

"So last weekend, we used channels to talk to the U.S.

to reflect our position on Taiwan-U.S. tariff negotiations and

some of our proposals," Tsai said, without giving details.

Lai has held many meetings with officials to discuss the

detailed response, including how to strengthen investment or

procurement in the United States, he added.

"I think that through this more comprehensive negotiation

preparation, we hope that once the United States agrees that

Taiwan and the U.S. can have a related negotiation process, the

two sides can quickly come to an agreement to promote the

progress of the relevant negotiation."

The tariffs have hammered Taiwan's stock market.

The government on Tuesday evening announced the activation

of its $15 billion stock stabilisation fund to restore investor

confidence and ensure market stability.

However, the benchmark stock index closed down

5.8% on Wednesday hitting its lowest in nearly 15 months and

compounding the hefty losses of the two previous sessions.

Shares in top chipmaker TSMC dropped 3.8%, while

Apple supplier Foxconn's shares fell by the daily

limit of 10%.

Semiconductors are so far excluded from the tariffs.