Chip Diplomacy

Taiwan Uses Semiconductor Diplomacy to Navigate Global Pressure and Share AI Wealth

Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te attended the Taiwan-EU Semiconductor Forum on the sidelines of the SEMICON Taiwan exhibition in Taipei, Taiwan, on September 1, 2026. This comes amid pressure from the United States, its most important international supplier and arms supplier, to shift more chip manufacturing there. This follows reports that semiconductor tariffs are coming for companies that do not make chips in the U.S. However, Bill Frauenhofer, the Commerce Department official overseeing the tariff agreement with Taiwan, said the partnership between Taiwan and the U., both of whom have vested interests in making this successful, was working. Deputy Foreign Minister Francois Wu said that Taiwan and France shared the values of democracy, freedom and a commitment to a rules-based international order.

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