Experts call on Taiwan to keep its semiconductor edge post U.S. elections

Taipei, Nov. 4 (CNA) A group of experts on Sunday called on Taiwan to work to keep its world-leading position in the semiconductor industry, with the U.S.-China chip war expected to continue regardless of who becomes the next American president.

Li Da-jung (李大中), director of the Graduate Institute of International Affairs and Strategic Studies at Tamkang University, said at a Taipei seminar on global semiconductor security, that ties between the two superpowers will remain confrontational.

There appears to be "no turning back" in U.S.-Sino relations, as Vice Presdident Kamala Harris and Donald Trump would both be expected to continue Washington's current hawkish stance against Beijing, including by continuing restrictions on China's access to semiconductor technology, Li added.

Speaking during the same event, Lin Ying-yu (林穎佑), an assistant professor at Tamkang University, said despite increasing state support China's semiconductor industry has received in recent years, it would still be a long time before it caught up with the U.S. in terms of advanced chip development.

He said that whether China could continue its efforts in developing advanced semiconductors remained uncertain because the Chinese government could soon withdraw the sector's subsidy, without elaborating.

"This could mean more opportunities for Taiwanese semiconductor businesses," Lin said.

James Yang (楊健盟), founder of Hsinchu-based MICROIP which provides integrated circuit (IC) design services and chip performance analysis, said in the seminar that Taiwan's semiconductor ecosystem has developed over the last 40 years and would be challenging to replace anytime soon.

He highlighted that Taiwan's advantage lies not just in a few companies but in the entire industry cluster in Hsinchu Science Park, along with the supporting talent ecosystem drawn from nearby National Tsing Hua University, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University and the Industrial Technology Research Institute.

He said that Taiwan needs to maintain the competitiveness of its semiconductor industry amid the ongoing U.S.-China chip war and current geopolitical realities.

He added that as countries compete to build their own semiconductor industries, Taiwan's public and private sectors need to work to maintain the nation's edge, particularly in retaining talent.

Sunday's seminar, "Silicon Triangle, the United States, Taiwan, China and Global Semiconductor Security" was organized by Tamkang University and local TV station TVBS, a local think tank, and MICROIP.