Zhu Fenglian Photo: Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council

The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities' pursuit of "Taiwan independence" by aligning with the US "decoupling" agenda will harm local businesses by obstructing cross-Straits cooperation, a spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council told a press conference on Wednesday.

In response to reports that Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) agreed to halt supplying specific chips to clients on the Chinese mainland starting on Monday, Zhu Fenglian, a spokesperson for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, said that promoting cross-Straits industrial cooperation benefits business development and enhances well-being on both sides of the Straits.

The relevant reports reaffirm that the US is using the "Taiwan card" to escalate tensions in the Taiwan Straits, with the aim of containing China by manipulating the Taiwan question, Zhu said.  

The DPP authorities, in their attempt to rely on external forces to seek "Taiwan independence," have blindly followed the US in promoting "decoupling and disconnection" from the mainland, creating additional artificial barriers to cross-Straits industrial cooperation, Zhu noted.

This approach ultimately harms the interests of Taiwan businesses, weakens the competitive edge of Taiwan's related industries and causes the island to miss out on future industrial development opportunities, Zhu added.

The US Department of Commerce sent a letter to TSMC imposing export restrictions on certain sophisticated chips, of 7 nanometer or more advanced designs, destined for China that power artificial intelligence accelerator and graphics processing units, Reuters reported on Sunday, citing an anonymous source.

In a statement sent to the Global Times on Sunday, TSMC said that it is a law-abiding company and is committed to complying with all applicable rules and regulations, including applicable export controls.

On November 8, the South China Morning Post reported that TSMC had told clients from the Chinese mainland that it will no longer produce advanced chips for them, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Global Times