Wed, Sep 04, 2024 page12

• Ex-TSMC chairman warns against ‘pro-China,’ ‘pro-US’ labels in policy debates

  • Staff writer, with CNA
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  Former Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) chairman Mark Liu (劉德音) yesterday warned against the tendency to label stakeholders as either “pro-China” or “pro-US,” calling such rigid thinking a “trap” that could impede policy discussions.

  Liu, an adviser to the Cabinet’s Economic Development Committee, made the comments in his keynote speech at the committee’s first advisers’ meeting.

  Speaking in front of Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰), National Development Council (NDC) Minister Paul Liu (劉鏡清) and other officials, Liu urged the public to be wary of falling into the “trap” of categorizing people involved in discussions into either the “pro-China” or “pro-US” camp.

  

  Former Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co chairman Mark Liu speaks at the Economic Development Committee’s first advisers’ meeting in Taipei yesterday.

  Photo: CNA

  Liu, who stepped down in June after six years as TSMC chairman, did not mention specific instances, saying only that this tendency would hinder “imagination” and “curiosity” in discussions.

  He cited the US as an example and said policy discussions had been dominated by either the “pro-Trump” or “anti-Trump” camp — referring to former US president Donald Trump, who is seeking a return to the White House in this year’s election — often seeking to prioritize its agenda above all else.

  Instead, he called for the elimination of binary thinking and for bringing together every stakeholder in society to help “make Taiwan strong.”

  Taiwan needs to scramble to confront its economic disadvantages, particularly its limited market size, he said.

  If a company does not see the entire world as a potential market, it will sooner or later find itself “confined” to the domestic market, Liu said.

  While such a business strategy might still make company executives wealthy, its positive impact on Taiwan’s economy might not be long-lasting, he said.

  “Taiwan needs to identify opportunities where it can contribute to global market growth,” Liu said, adding that Taiwan’s next key industry would be determined by whether it has the potential to become a global supplier.

  With that in mind, the government must focus its resources on developing and supporting “ecosystems” for industries where Taiwan has a competitive advantage in producing high-value-added goods to help capture the global market, he said.

  Liu specifically mentioned the boom in the data center industry, which he described as “a gift suddenly falling from the sky,” likely alluding to recent plans by foreign tech giants, including Google, Amazon Web Services and Nvidia Corp, to build such centers in Taiwan.

  Taiwan has to seize the opportunity to develop the “cooling system,” a critical part of a data center, he said, adding that having an edge in that realm would make Taiwan indispensable to the global community.

  Established in July, the Executive Yuan’s Economic Development Committee has been described by Cho as a task force responsible for formulating policies and addressing various economic issues.

  Apart from Liu, the commission includes nearly 60 representatives from enterprises, business associations and academia who serve as advisers.
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