Taiwan’s premier calls for chip protection laws to be passed ‘at earliest date’
- Su Tseng-chang says the ‘red supply chain’ is using various methods to ‘infiltrate’ the island, take its talent and steal its technology
- Cabinet in February proposed toughening the rules amid concern in Taipei that Beijing is stepping up its economic espionage
Taiwan’s premier has called for the swift passage of revisions to laws mandating tougher punishments to prevent mainland China from stealing its chip technology, saying the threat from the “red supply chain” needed an effective deterrence.
China’s battle for chip talent could intensify if US looks to Taiwan
Law enforcement agencies need to work together to crack down and investigate, he added.
Su said he had asked the justice ministry to work with parliament to ensure the revisions to the law proposed in February were passed “at the earliest date”.
Other departments, including the economy ministry and the policymaking Mainland Affairs Council, need to raise penalties for mainland Chinese firms masquerading as Taiwanese ones to poach talent “in order to have a deterrence effect”, he added.
Taiwan’s cabinet is proposing new offences for “economic espionage” under the national security law, setting out punishment of up to 12 years in prison for those who leak core technologies to mainland China or “foreign enemy forces”.
Beijing has stepped up its military and diplomatic pressure to try and force Taiwan to accept its sovereignty claims.
Taiwan’s government says only the island’s 23 million people can decide their future, and they will defend themselves if attacked.