Taiwan official denies Trump's chip theft accusation

Taipei, Feb. 20 (CNA) Taiwan's National Security Council (NSC) chief Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) on Thursday rebutted U.S. President Donald Trump's recent remarks suggesting Taiwan had stolen the semiconductor business from the United States.

"We did not steal anything from anybody," Wu said at the HFX Taipei international security forum when asked to comment on Trump's accusation.

"I need to stress that if you look at TSMC, they started from scratch. There was some help from the international community, of course, but they continue to excel themselves," he said.

"I know there's a guy who's been stealing stuff from us, from the United States and from others, and that is that big fat bully from our neighborhood," Wu added, referring to China.

Wu, who was critical of Beijing during his tenure as Taiwan's top diplomat from 2018 to 2024, leveled his criticism against the Chinese government for heavily subsidizing its electric vehicle and shipbuilding industries and hurting businesses in other countries.

Trump has been taking aim at Taiwan's semiconductor industry, particularly Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), the world's largest contract chipmaker, since he began his presidential campaign.

He said earlier this month that Taiwan had "[taken] our chip business away," while again threatening tariffs on foreign semiconductor imports to encourage the restoration of chipmaking in the U.S.

Speaking about how Taiwan might respond if the Trump administration follows through with the pledged tariffs, he said Taiwan's government had been assessing potential impacts and would be prepared to adjust its economic structure, without elaborating.

If it is a level-playing field where every country receives the same treatment, the ones bearing the cost will be U.S. consumers, Wu said, implying that prices in the U.S. would be driven up because of tariffs.

"I'm sure eventually the U.S. will reconsider its decision," he added.