In one sentence, Acer Inc (
"I can survive without China," said Shih, in an interview with the San Francisco Chronicle on Monday. "If they [the Chinese Government] try to take my small Chinese investment, I'm fine."
Shih is considered one of the founding fathers of Taiwan's high tech industry, opening Acer in 1976 and putting it on course to become perhaps the first globally recognizable corporate name from the nation.
In the Chronicle article, Shih said misunderstandings between Taiwan and China have heightened tensions across the Strait.
In one instance, the Chinese government fired a warning shot across Shih's bow, saying that his position as adviser to President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) could negatively affect Acer's operations in China. "China had a misunderstanding about the new government supporting independence. As a corporate citizen, you have to support the government. I was also an adviser to [former] president Lee [Teng-hui] (
He also said he hoped growing business ties between Taiwan and China bring mutual benefits to both countries, "and we don't see any reason for stopping that progress, unless they have a political reason."
Shih expects a foundation to be built for a future mutually acceptable resolution. "The current proposal from China is not acceptable. From Taiwan's point of view, `one future China' is OK. But if `one China' is the PRC, that's not acceptable right now," he said.
Acer was one of the first tech firms from Taiwan to venture into China.
Shih said Taiwanese firms are looking to China as a partner in the same manner as they view the US and Japan in a globally competitive market place.
"When you do business, you have to depend on other countries. This is the global economy," he said.
To clarify his point, Shih said Acer invests more money in the US than in China. Each year, investment to the US in software, communications, optical electronics and semiconductors reaches between US$30 million and US$40 million. He gave no figures for China investment.
Real estate agent and property developer JSL Construction & Development Co (愛山林) led the average compensation rankings among companies listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange (TWSE) last year, while contract chipmaker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) finished 14th. JSL Construction paid its employees total average compensation of NT$4.78 million (US$159,701), down 13.5 percent from a year earlier, but still ahead of the most profitable listed tech giants, including TSMC, TWSE data showed. Last year, the average compensation (which includes salary, overtime, bonuses and allowances) paid by TSMC rose 21.6 percent to reach about NT$3.33 million, lifting its ranking by 10 notches
SEASONAL WEAKNESS: The combined revenue of the top 10 foundries fell 5.4%, but rush orders and China’s subsidies partially offset slowing demand Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) further solidified its dominance in the global wafer foundry business in the first quarter of this year, remaining far ahead of its closest rival, Samsung Electronics Co, TrendForce Corp (集邦科技) said yesterday. TSMC posted US$25.52 billion in sales in the January-to-March period, down 5 percent from the previous quarter, but its market share rose from 67.1 percent the previous quarter to 67.6 percent, TrendForce said in a report. While smartphone-related wafer shipments declined in the first quarter due to seasonal factors, solid demand for artificial intelligence (AI) and high-performance computing (HPC) devices and urgent TV-related orders
Prices of gasoline and diesel products at domestic fuel stations are this week to rise NT$0.2 and NT$0.3 per liter respectively, after international crude oil prices increased last week, CPC Corp, Taiwan (台灣中油) and Formosa Petrochemical Corp (台塑石化) said yesterday. International crude oil prices last week snapped a two-week losing streak as the geopolitical situation between Russia and Ukraine turned increasingly tense, CPC said in a statement. News that some oil production facilities in Alberta, Canada, were shut down due to wildfires and that US-Iran nuclear talks made no progress also helped push oil prices to a significant weekly gain, Formosa said
MINERAL DIPLOMACY: The Chinese commerce ministry said it approved applications for the export of rare earths in a move that could help ease US-China trade tensions Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng (何立峰) is today to meet a US delegation for talks in the UK, Beijing announced on Saturday amid a fragile truce in the trade dispute between the two powers. He is to visit the UK from yesterday to Friday at the invitation of the British government, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. He and US representatives are to cochair the first meeting of the US-China economic and trade consultation mechanism, it said. US President Donald Trump on Friday announced that a new round of trade talks with China would start in London beginning today,
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