"Foolish move": Taiwan chip veteran calls working for China's top foundry SMIC

A Taiwanese semiconductor industry veteran Chiang Shang-yi, who has served in top posts at both Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) and China's Semiconductor Manufacturing International Co. (SMIC) said that he regrets ever joining the Chinese company and the decision was a "mistake."

Chiang Shang-yi was the executive vice president and co-chief operating officer of TSMC, the world's largest contract chipmaker, until 2013, Taiwan News reported.

While, his two stints at China's biggest chipmaker SMIC lasted between 2016-2018 and 2020-2021.

He made these remarks in an interview in March with the California-based Computer History Museum. The former Taiwanese semiconductor veteran opened up about his experience working for the two semiconductor giants in both countries, Taiwan News reported.

Regretting overtaking the offer from SMIC after his retirement from TSMC, he said that the move was "one of the foolish things" he has done.

"I had a pretty good image in Taiwan. That really hurt my image a lot," he said, when speaking about his first stint at the Chinese company as a board member.

China views democratically, self-ruled Taiwan as a renegade province that needs to be reunited with the mainland. Recently, China concluded its military drills after more than a week-long training near Taiwan, simulating an attack on the self-ruled island.

But Taiwan's Ministry of National Defence said it remains on high alert following an announcement by the PLA to halt the drills.

"While PLA Eastern Theater announced that they have finished their joint military operation and will conduct routine patrol, ROC Armed Forces will adjust how we deploy our forces considering multiple factors including troop morale and threats, without letting our guard down," the ministry said this week.

Taiwan stated that China used military drills to influence the international community's freedom of navigation in the waters and airspace of the Taiwan Strait and to prepare for an invasion.

( With inputs from ANI )