TAIPEI (TVBS News) — The Taiwan Affairs Office (國台辦) has accused Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) of becoming a pawn in the Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) efforts to appease the United States. Spokesperson Zhu Fenglian (朱鳳蓮) stated on Wednesday (Dec. 11) that TSMC is now an "investment" to curry favor with the U.S., and it is only a matter of time before TSMC becomes "U.S.-based TSMC."
Zhu's comments come amid speculation that the U.S., with Donald Trump set to return to the White House after winning the 2024 presidential election, is pressuring TSMC to accelerate the production of advanced semiconductors in the U.S. This development has sparked widespread discussion and concern, according to Chinese agency responsible for cross-strait relations. Zhu emphasized that if the DPP continues its unchecked "selling out" of Taiwan, the island's industrial advantages will be undermined, and local businesses and citizens will suffer.
She warned that once Taiwan's strategic value is exhausted, it will be discarded, and the people will see this more clearly. To support her argument, she quoted TSMC's former chairman, Morris Chang (劉德音), who previously argued that producing the most advanced technology in the U.S. could result in losses of hundreds of billions of dollars. Back then, Chang suggested that manufacturing the most advanced U.S. products in Taiwan would be a win-win situation.
Zhu also highlighted that many Taiwanese companies have benefited from cross-strait cooperation, demonstrating that collaborating with mainland China to strengthen the Chinese economy is the right path forward. As the U.S. and China vie for technological supremacy, TSMC finds itself at the center of a geopolitical tug-of-war. The company's next moves will be closely watched, as they could reshape the global semiconductor industry and Taiwan's economic future.
