Despite strong opposition from a few legislators and a group of academics, the government has reached an inter-ministerial consensus to allow chipmakers to set up eight-inch wafer fabs in China.
When briefing lawmakers yesterday, officials from several government agencies confirmed that the government is working toward lifting the ban and a policy will be finalized by the end of the month.
Lawmakers yesterday spoke with representatives from the Ministry of Economic Affairs, National Science Council, Mainland Affairs Council (MAC), central bank, Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Justice.
Christine Tsung (宗才怡), minister of economic affairs, said lifting the ban is the "most urgent" matter facing the nation today, as Taiwan risks losing its competitive edge in the semiconductor industry within two years.
Even if the ban on eight-inch wafer fabs is lifted today, Tsung said, Taiwanese firms will lag rivals such as Shanghai-based Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp by 26 months. It takes up to 43 months to get an eight-inch fab up to full speed, Tsung said.
Wei Che-ho (魏哲和), chairman of the National Science Council, said there are both advantages and disadvantages in allowing Taiwanese firms to set up shop across the Strait.
Wei said the government needs to consider the market from a global perspective and Taiwan's place in the industry. If the government continues to prohibit local chipmakers from investing in China, Wei said, they may just go there anyway.
Wei said the government should require Taiwanese investors to use old equipment and chipmaking tools in setting up fabs in China. In addition, Taiwanese firms should acquire their capital from abroad and continue to invest in 12-inch fabs in Taiwan, Wei said.
These steps would allow Taiwan to maintain its competitiveness over China, Wei said.
Lawmakers opposed to lifting the ban repeated fears that Taiwan's security would be threatened if eight-inch fabs are allowed to move across the Strait.
DPP lawmaker Chen Chao-lung (
The lawmaker also noted that China has never renounced the use of force against Taiwan.
Mark Chen (
In addition, the move will lead to the hollowing out of the chip industry, the lawmaker argued, saying that when capital leaves the country it never returns.
But business leaders have pshawed those claims, saying that much of the debate by critics outside the chip industry has been driven by ignorance and emotional arguments.
There are 23 eight-inch wafer fabs in Taiwan -- six of which have shut down because of a worldwide industry slump and have yet to re-open.
John Deng (鄧振中), MAC vice chairman, assured dissenting lawmakers yesterday that lifting the ban would not affect the development of Taiwan's semiconductor industry, as long as the government carefully monitors the situation.
Deng said the government would take into account national and economic security as well as cross-strait competition when forming policy on chip investments in China.
While Taiwanese firms would be required to leave R&D in Taiwan, they would also be limited to setting up older, eight-inch fabs that use an etching process of 0.25 microns or larger, Deng said.
Tsung said Taiwanese firms would just move idle facilities to China and that Taiwanese firms would be allowed to set up no more than three fabs in China.
AIR SUPPORT: The Ministry of National Defense thanked the US for the delivery, adding that it was an indicator of the White House’s commitment to the Taiwan Relations Act Deputy Minister of National Defense Po Horng-huei (柏鴻輝) and Representative to the US Alexander Yui on Friday attended a delivery ceremony for the first of Taiwan’s long-awaited 66 F-16C/D Block 70 jets at a Lockheed Martin Corp factory in Greenville, South Carolina. “We are so proud to be the global home of the F-16 and to support Taiwan’s air defense capabilities,” US Representative William Timmons wrote on X, alongside a photograph of Taiwanese and US officials at the event. The F-16C/D Block 70 jets Taiwan ordered have the same capabilities as aircraft that had been upgraded to F-16Vs. The batch of Lockheed Martin
US President Donald Trump yesterday announced sweeping "reciprocal tariffs" on US trading partners, including a 32 percent tax on goods from Taiwan that is set to take effect on Wednesday. At a Rose Garden event, Trump declared a 10 percent baseline tax on imports from all countries, with the White House saying it would take effect on Saturday. Countries with larger trade surpluses with the US would face higher duties beginning on Wednesday, including Taiwan (32 percent), China (34 percent), Japan (24 percent), South Korea (25 percent), Vietnam (46 percent) and Thailand (36 percent). Canada and Mexico, the two largest US trading
GRIDLOCK: The National Fire Agency’s Special Search and Rescue team is on standby to travel to the countries to help out with the rescue effort A powerful earthquake rocked Myanmar and neighboring Thailand yesterday, killing at least three people in Bangkok and burying dozens when a high-rise building under construction collapsed. Footage shared on social media from Myanmar’s second-largest city showed widespread destruction, raising fears that many were trapped under the rubble or killed. The magnitude 7.7 earthquake, with an epicenter near Mandalay in Myanmar, struck at midday and was followed by a strong magnitude 6.4 aftershock. The extent of death, injury and destruction — especially in Myanmar, which is embroiled in a civil war and where information is tightly controlled at the best of times —
China's military today said it began joint army, navy and rocket force exercises around Taiwan to "serve as a stern warning and powerful deterrent against Taiwanese independence," calling President William Lai (賴清德) a "parasite." The exercises come after Lai called Beijing a "foreign hostile force" last month. More than 10 Chinese military ships approached close to Taiwan's 24 nautical mile (44.4km) contiguous zone this morning and Taiwan sent its own warships to respond, two senior Taiwanese officials said. Taiwan has not yet detected any live fire by the Chinese military so far, one of the officials said. The drills took place after US Secretary