United Microelectronics Corp (UMC,
On Friday, the Hsinchu District Court dismissed charges against former UMC chairman Robert Tsao (
In February, He Jian offered to give 15 percent of it stake in return for UMC assistance, but UMC was unable to accept it as the government restricts local chipmaker from investing in Chinese chipmakers.
"We are very pleased with the results, which bring justice to UMC. We hope this will be the end to the lawsuits," UMC chairman Jackson Hu (
Hu said it made no sense for the government to limit local chipmakers' investments in China, as US chip giant Intel Corp intends to make chips in China using advanced 90 nanometer and 65 nanometer technology.
Taiwanese chipmakers are only allowed to make chips on less advanced 0.18-micron technology.
Hu said he could hold further discussions with Minister of Economic Affairs Steve Chen (陳瑞隆) today on the means by which UMC could legally obtain the 15 percent stake in He Jian.
"Ownership would enhance the ties between the companies," Hu said.
Bigger rival Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC,
TSMC chairman Morris Chang (張忠謀) said China is a fast-growing market and could enjoy explosive growth in future, but the technology TSMC uses to make chips at its Chinese plant in Shanghai cannot satisfy customer demand.
TSMC, the only local chipmaker that has begun manufacturing chips in China, said it would boost monthly output to 50,000 wafers in the middle of next year.
Tsao, meanwhile, was unlikely to end his legal battle with the government. Tsao intends to file a lawsuit against the ministry's Investment Commission, claiming the government agency has abused its authority and forged documents.
The commission's contention that UMC and Tsao illegally invested in China was partly based on reports and corporate documents made by China Credit Information Service Ltd (
Tsao said the reports and documents compiled by China Credit were false and that the commission was behind the forgery.
The commission says it has acted in accordance with the law.
Stephen Garrett, a 27-year-old graduate student, always thought he would study in China, but first the country’s restrictive COVID-19 policies made it nearly impossible and now he has other concerns. The cost is one deterrent, but Garrett is more worried about restrictions on academic freedom and the personal risk of being stranded in China. He is not alone. Only about 700 American students are studying at Chinese universities, down from a peak of nearly 25,000 a decade ago, while there are nearly 300,000 Chinese students at US schools. Some young Americans are discouraged from investing their time in China by what they see
MAJOR DROP: CEO Tim Cook, who is visiting Hanoi, pledged the firm was committed to Vietnam after its smartphone shipments declined 9.6% annually in the first quarter Apple Inc yesterday said it would increase spending on suppliers in Vietnam, a key production hub, as CEO Tim Cook arrived in the country for a two-day visit. The iPhone maker announced the news in a statement on its Web site, but gave no details of how much it would spend or where the money would go. Cook is expected to meet programmers, content creators and students during his visit, online newspaper VnExpress reported. The visit comes as US President Joe Biden’s administration seeks to ramp up Vietnam’s role in the global tech supply chain to reduce the US’ dependence on China. Images on
New apartments in Taiwan’s major cities are getting smaller, while old apartments are increasingly occupied by older people, many of whom live alone, government data showed. The phenomenon has to do with sharpening unaffordable property prices and an aging population, property brokers said. Apartments with one bedroom that are two years old or older have gained a noticeable presence in the nation’s six special municipalities as well as Hsinchu county and city in the past five years, Evertrust Rehouse Co (永慶房產集團) found, citing data from the government’s real-price transaction platform. In Taipei, apartments with one bedroom accounted for 19 percent of deals last
US CONSCULTANT: The US Department of Commerce’s Ursula Burns is a rarely seen US government consultant to be put forward to sit on the board, nominated as an independent director Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), the world’s largest contract chipmaker, yesterday nominated 10 candidates for its new board of directors, including Ursula Burns from the US Department of Commerce. It is rare that TSMC has nominated a US government consultant to sit on its board. Burns was nominated as one of seven independent directors. She is vice chair of the department’s Advisory Council on Supply Chain Competitiveness. Burns is to stand for election at TSMC’s annual shareholders’ meeting on June 4 along with the rest of the candidates. TSMC chairman Mark Liu (劉德音) was not on the list after in December last