Taiwan needs Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), but the company also needs a free and open country to allow it to develop, Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) said yesterday at the legislature.
The world also needs TSMC, and needs Taiwan to maintain its place in the global supply chain, he added.
The premier was responding to questions from legislators related to TSMC founder Morris Chang’s (張忠謀) comments broadcast on the US news program 60 Minutes on Monday.
Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei Times
Speaking to reporter Lesley Stahl, Chang said that China would not attack Taiwan because TSMC is there.
When asked by Stahl what created the belief of the “silicon shield” or “chip shield,” Chang said: “It means that, perhaps, because our company provides many chips to the world, maybe somebody will refrain from attacking it, if that person’s priority is for economic well-being, I think they will refrain from attacking.”
After reiterating the remarks to Su, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Hsieh Yi-feng (謝衣鳳) asked the premier what Taiwan would do if TSMC left the country.
Photo: Screen grab from CBS “60 Minutes”
The government is aware of the possibility that TSMC could move elsewhere, but as much as Taiwan needs it, the semiconductor firm needs a free and open country like Taiwan to expand and develop its technologies, Su said.
Chang said the US has extended an offer for TSMC to establish factories in the US, Su added.
To highlight TSMC’s commitment to Taiwan, Su cited a statement made by TSMC chairman Mark Liu (劉德音), who said in an interview with CNN’s Fareed Zakaria, broadcast on July 31, that no one would win in a Chinese invasion.
“Nobody can control TSMC by force, because TSMC runs such a sophisticated manufacturing facility,” Su cited Liu as saying.
Su then referred to Chang’s statements in the 60 Minutes interview regarding the chance that China might try to nationalize TSMC within its “one China” framework.
“If there is a war, it will be destroyed; everything will be destroyed,” Chang said.
This would prove ruinous for the semiconductor industry and microchip manufacturing industry worldwide, Su said.
TSMC was not built in a day, Su said, adding that the environment in Taiwan has allowed it to become the company it is today, showing the world what only Taiwan can provide.
TSMC’s success contributes significantly to why large manufacturers and companies seek to establish headquarters or research centers in Taiwan, Su said.
“The success of TSMC has made Taiwan globally visible and supported,” he added.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
Myanmar has turned down an offer of assistance from Taiwanese search-and-rescue teams after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the nation on Friday last week, saying other international aid is sufficient, the National Fire Agency said yesterday. More than 1,700 have been killed and 3,400 injured in the quake that struck near the central Myanmar city of Mandalay early on Friday afternoon, followed minutes later by a magnitude 6.7 aftershock. Worldwide, 13 international search-and-rescue teams have been deployed, with another 13 teams mobilizing, the agency said. Taiwan’s search-and-rescue teams were on standby, but have since been told to stand down, as
RSS