Taiwan's Foreign Minister Joseph Wu stated last week during a tour to Europe that if European nations want Taiwanese investment in semiconductor manufacture to continue, they should improve relations with Taiwan.
Government permission is required for all international investments by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp (TSMC), the largest contract chipmaker in the world, including one for a possible factory in Germany.
Wu claimed that TSMC investments were not subject to requirements from the government and that it was up to the business to determine whether a project would be profitable.
Taiwan, according to Wu, would not obstruct European investments, but there was a "philosophical issue" that a nation seeking Taiwanese assistance needed to take a broader view of relations with Taiwan.
"I think that is something for us to think about," he said. "Even though we are not selfish in stopping TSMC making investment in other countries, we certainly hope that other countries who want to attract TSMC... can also think about the situation Taiwan is in."
Taiwan is a self-governing island that China claims as its own, and it has never renounced using force to annex it. Taiwan vehemently rejects China's claims to sovereignty and maintains that only the island's residents have the authority to choose its future.
"If they can think along that positive line, the relations between Taiwan and European countries, major European countries, are going to be so much better than before," said Wu.
Due to the delicate nature of his visit, the minister requested that his whereabouts remain a secret. Except for the Vatican, Taiwan has no formal diplomatic links with any European nation, and China had forewarned Europe against forging such ties prior to Wu's visit.
Wu did go to the Czech Republic, and according to sources, he also went to Brussels, which is home to the NATO and EU headquarters.
Wu asserted that EU officials have become more vocal in their calls for maintaining the status quo and for peace in the Taiwan Strait, the body of water separating China and Taiwan. Wu also suggested that the EU should consider expanding its relations with Taiwan, maybe through the signing of a bilateral investment agreement (BIA).
The EU put Taiwan on its list of possible BIA partners in 2015, but since then, there have been no discussions with Taiwan about the matter.
"It's very challenging," said Wu, adding he was concerned it was being held hostage due to a frozen EU-China investment deal.
"We hope we can go ahead with it and we hope we can persuade the EU leadership to think about this in a positive way."
(Source:www.taipeitimes.com)
Government permission is required for all international investments by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp (TSMC), the largest contract chipmaker in the world, including one for a possible factory in Germany.
Wu claimed that TSMC investments were not subject to requirements from the government and that it was up to the business to determine whether a project would be profitable.
Taiwan, according to Wu, would not obstruct European investments, but there was a "philosophical issue" that a nation seeking Taiwanese assistance needed to take a broader view of relations with Taiwan.
"I think that is something for us to think about," he said. "Even though we are not selfish in stopping TSMC making investment in other countries, we certainly hope that other countries who want to attract TSMC... can also think about the situation Taiwan is in."
Taiwan is a self-governing island that China claims as its own, and it has never renounced using force to annex it. Taiwan vehemently rejects China's claims to sovereignty and maintains that only the island's residents have the authority to choose its future.
"If they can think along that positive line, the relations between Taiwan and European countries, major European countries, are going to be so much better than before," said Wu.
Due to the delicate nature of his visit, the minister requested that his whereabouts remain a secret. Except for the Vatican, Taiwan has no formal diplomatic links with any European nation, and China had forewarned Europe against forging such ties prior to Wu's visit.
Wu did go to the Czech Republic, and according to sources, he also went to Brussels, which is home to the NATO and EU headquarters.
Wu asserted that EU officials have become more vocal in their calls for maintaining the status quo and for peace in the Taiwan Strait, the body of water separating China and Taiwan. Wu also suggested that the EU should consider expanding its relations with Taiwan, maybe through the signing of a bilateral investment agreement (BIA).
The EU put Taiwan on its list of possible BIA partners in 2015, but since then, there have been no discussions with Taiwan about the matter.
"It's very challenging," said Wu, adding he was concerned it was being held hostage due to a frozen EU-China investment deal.
"We hope we can go ahead with it and we hope we can persuade the EU leadership to think about this in a positive way."
(Source:www.taipeitimes.com)
