U.S. officials plan to visit Taiwan to explain to companies the details of new restrictions on advanced chip exports aimed primarily at China, Taiwan's Economic Minister Wang Meihua said on Monday. The Biden administration said in October that it planned to halt exports to China of more advanced artificial intelligence chips designed by NVIDIA and other companies as part of efforts to try to prevent the Chinese government from receiving American technology to strengthen its military.
Taiwan, home to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), the world's largest contract chipmaker, and many other semiconductor companies, has its own restrictions on exports to China, in addition to complying with trade bans imposed by a range of major economies.
Wang Meihua said that some details in the new US regulations need to be explained. She told reporters: "We believe that they (the United States) come to Taiwan to explain to companies, understand the thinking of U.S. law enforcement agencies face-to-face, and communicate on-site on details, which is what Taiwan needs. Given that chip manufacturing is concentrated in Taiwan, it is beneficial for Taiwanese companies to understand the details of new control measures from U.S. officials."
The Central News Agency said that U.S. officials will visit Taiwan next month and hold events in the chip hubs of Hsinchu and Tainan.
The Commerce Department did not respond to a request for comment outside office hours.