TSMC founder says free trade recently comes with ‘conditions’

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. founder Morris Chang reiterated the value of free trade to solve supply problems in the critical chip industry, while cautioning that’s been accompanied by more conditions of late.

Chang, who was speaking as Taiwan’s envoy to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders’ meeting, on Friday said there’s concern that “recently ‘free trade’ seems to carry more conditions and qualifications than it used to.” Such “conditions” referred to the U.S. planning to make more chips domestically, he later told a media briefing.

His comments come as Taiwan’s dominant position in the semiconductor business has come under pressure, amid the persistent global chip shortage and calls in Washington and Beijing for domestic chipmakers to increase self-reliance.