Taiwan’s top technology official emphasized the need for global cooperation in the semiconductor industry, arguing that no single country should dominate the sector.
This statement follows criticism from former U.S. President Donald Trump over Taiwan’s strong position in chip manufacturing.
U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday reiterated his claim that Taiwan had taken control of the semiconductor industry and vowed to bring chip manufacturing back to the United States.
The Head of Taiwan’s National Science and Technology Council, Wu Cheng-wen, indirectly responded to Trump’s remarks in a Facebook post without naming him.
Instead, he referenced Taiwan President Lai Ching-te’s statement on Friday, reaffirming Taiwan’s commitment to being a reliable partner in the democratic supply chain of the global semiconductor industry.
Wu noted in his Facebook post that Taiwan is frequently asked how its semiconductor industry has become a globally recognized benchmark.
“How did we achieve this? Obviously, we did not gain this for no reason from other countries,” he said, recounting how the government developed the sector from the 1970s, including helping found TSMC, now the world’s largest contract chipmaker, in 1987.
“This shows that Taiwan has invested half a century of hard work to achieve today’s success, and it certainly wasn’t something taken easily from other countries.”
Wu highlighted that each country has its own strengths in the semiconductor industry, noting that Japan excels in chemicals and equipment, while the United States is “second to none” in chip design and innovative system applications.
“The semiconductor industry is highly complex and requires precise specialisation and division of labour. Given that each country has its own unique industrial strengths, there is no need for a single nation to fully control or monopolise all technologies globally, “Wu said.
He added that Taiwan is ready to serve as a base to support “friendly democratic countries” in fulfilling their roles within the semiconductor supply chain.
