Taiwan Semiconductor Manufac-turing Co (TSMC,
"Personally, I see Shanghai as a geographically better-positioned place to serve the mainland market," said TSMC deputy chief executive Tseng Fan-cheng (曾繁城), but he added the final site had yet to be determined.
"Our sales people have already been traveling to major mainland cities to explore business opportunities there."
The office will be the first concrete step in realizing plans by the world's largest semiconductor foundry to invest in China.
The plans were initially revealed by TSMC chairman Morris Chang (張忠謀) a week ago.
Chang told a panel of the national economic development advisory council on Sunday that it was time for TSMC to launch operations in China.
However, he did not specify a timetable for any China investments.
Tseng said plans to build a wafer production facility in China was unlikely to materialize in the next two to three years despite the government's latest efforts to open China-bound investments.
The national Economic Development Advisory Conference decided earlier this month to scrap a blanket ban on investment projects in China valued at more than US$50 million, in favor of a case-by-case evaluation.
The current policy bans single investments worth more than US$50 million and those in the infrastructure and advanced technology sector.
However, such investments are often made through foreign subsidiaries of Taiwan companies.
The "no haste, be patient" policy on investment has been in place since 1996 following fears that Taiwan could become an economic hostage to China.
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