The chip industry in Taiwan has been called its “silicon shield” because the world needs the support of Taiwan’s high-tech industry and would not let a war break out in the region, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) chairman Mark Liu (劉德音) said in an interview with a US television show host.
Speaking to CBS’ 60 Minutes host Lesley Stahl, Liu said that as a critical link in the global semiconductor supply chain, Taiwan’s chip industry is dubbed the “silicon shield” for a reason.
“That means the world all needs Taiwan’s high-tech industry support. So they will not let the war happen in this region because it goes against [the] interest of every country in the world,” he said in the interview, which aired on Sunday.
Photo: Ritchie B. Tongo, EPA-EFE
However, Liu would not comment if the chip industry is indeed keeping Taiwan safe, with some foreign experts saying that TSMC and other Taiwanese chipmakers are one of the reasons the West needs to help defend the country in the event of conflict with China.
“I cannot comment on the safety. I mean, this is a changing world. Nobody wants these things to happen. And I hope — I hope not, too — either,” he said.
Asked about US concerns that most chips are made in Asia amid an ongoing global shortage of automobile chips, Liu said that he understood such worries, but said that the main issue is not where the chips are being made.
“The shortage will happen no matter where the production is located because it’s due to COVID,” he said, referring to the pandemic.
Asked about US attempts to rebalance the supply chain, Liu said that instead of trying to move the supply chain, the US should invest in research and development to produce “more Ph.D., master and bachelor students” in the manufacturing field.
Liu said that TSMC expects to meet the minimum requirements of its auto customers before the end of next month.
However, that does not mean the auto chip shortage would end in two months, as the supply chain is long and complex, and that would take about seven to eight months, Liu said.
ROLLER-COASTER RIDE: More than five earthquakes ranging from magnitude 4.4 to 5.5 on the Richter scale shook eastern Taiwan in rapid succession yesterday afternoon Back-to-back weather fronts are forecast to hit Taiwan this week, resulting in rain across the nation in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration said yesterday, as it also warned residents in mountainous regions to be wary of landslides and rockfalls. As the first front approached, sporadic rainfall began in central and northern parts of Taiwan yesterday, the agency said, adding that rain is forecast to intensify in those regions today, while brief showers would also affect other parts of the nation. A second weather system is forecast to arrive on Thursday, bringing additional rain to the whole nation until Sunday, it
LANDSLIDES POSSIBLE: The agency advised the public to avoid visiting mountainous regions due to more expected aftershocks and rainfall from a series of weather fronts A series of earthquakes over the past few days were likely aftershocks of the April 3 earthquake in Hualien County, with further aftershocks to be expected for up to a year, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Based on the nation’s experience after the quake on Sept. 21, 1999, more aftershocks are possible over the next six months to a year, the agency said. A total of 103 earthquakes of magnitude 4 on the local magnitude scale or higher hit Hualien County from 5:08pm on Monday to 10:27am yesterday, with 27 of them exceeding magnitude 5. They included two, of magnitude
CONDITIONAL: The PRC imposes secret requirements that the funding it provides cannot be spent in states with diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Emma Reilly said China has been bribing UN officials to obtain “special benefits” and to block funding from countries that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan, a former UN employee told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. At a House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee hearing into “international relations within the multilateral system,” former Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) employee Emma Reilly said in a written statement that “Beijing paid bribes to the two successive Presidents of the [UN] General Assembly” during the two-year negotiation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Another way China exercises influence within the UN Secretariat is
Taiwan’s first drag queen to compete on the internationally acclaimed RuPaul’s Drag Race, Nymphia Wind (妮妃雅), was on Friday crowned the “Next Drag Superstar.” Dressed in a sparkling banana dress, Nymphia Wind swept onto the stage for the final, and stole the show. “Taiwan this is for you,” she said right after show host RuPaul announced her as the winner. “To those who feel like they don’t belong, just remember to live fearlessly and to live their truth,” she said on stage. One of the frontrunners for the past 15 episodes, the 28-year-old breezed through to the final after weeks of showcasing her unique