TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Economic Minister J. W. Kuo (郭智輝) on Wednesday (Nov. 6) reassured the Taiwanese public, stressing that the outcome of the U.S. presidential election will have a minimal impact on the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC, 台積電), citing the deep-rooted ties between the two nations.
Kuo expects the U.S. government to create favorable conditions for TSMC. He highlighted TSMC's successful trial production at its U.S. plant, noting its dominance in advanced manufacturing processes and the strong market demand.
During a legislative inquiry, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP, 民進黨) Legislator Chen Ting-fei (陳亭妃) mentioned former President Trump's remarks about TSMC taking over the U.S. chip industry and suggested Taiwan should pay protection fees. Kuo dismissed these concerns, stating the complementary nature of Taiwan-U.S. trade relations.
Minister of the National Development Council (國家發展委員會) Liu Chin-ching (劉鏡清) warned that if Trump imposes protection fees on Taiwan, major international companies like Apple, NVIDIA, AMD, and Intel will bear the brunt. Liu stated that Trump is a business person who will avoid policies that increase U.S. product costs.
Liu also speculated that Trump might impose a 60% tariff on China and reduce imports, presenting opportunities for Taiwanese businesses. He suggested that Trump could expand bans on companies like Huawei (華為), encouraging Taiwanese enterprises to grow.