TSMC Founder from Taiwan Attending APEC: "Short but Pleasant Conversation with Xi Jinping"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] Chang Jung-mou (81), the founder and former chairman of TSMC, the world's largest foundry (semiconductor contract manufacturing) company based in Taiwan, revealed that he had a brief conversation with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting.

According to Taiwan's Central News Agency and major foreign media on the 19th, Chang, attending the APEC summit in Bangkok, Thailand as Taiwan's representative, told reporters that he had a short but pleasant conversation with President Xi the previous morning.

Chang, the founder of TSMC, said he congratulated President Xi on successfully holding the 20th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party last month, describing the exchange as "very enjoyable and courteous communication." However, Chang stated that no substantive discussions took place regarding practical issues such as tensions surrounding the Taiwan Strait.

APEC, one of the multilateral meetings involving Taiwan, had previously served as an opportunity for mutual communication between China and Taiwan. However, after Tsai Ing-wen, who advocates for Taiwan's independence, won the Taiwanese presidential election in 2016, China severed official dialogue with Taiwan.

Meanwhile, Chang also met with U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris earlier on the 19th, primarily discussing semiconductor-related matters.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.