Morris Chang yesterday after attending an event replied to media questions and commented that the weak economic state of the tech industry is definitely bad; however, it is definitely not as serious as the Internet bubble of 2000 or the financial tsunami of 2008.

He pointed out that the weak economy is just temporary, and the main factor is that the stocks of goods have not been digested. Chang estimates that this process will be completed by the end of the year, and there will be opportunities for recovery during the first quarter of next year.

Regarding TSMC’s establishment of 12nm manufacturing facilities in Mainland China, Morris Change replied that it is still under evaluation and that TSMC will need to consider it for a long time. It is possible that they will not move production to Mainland China; however it is also a possibility that they will.

Morris Chang was also asked whether or not he was concerned that Mainland China’s semiconductor industry would be a threat to Taiwan, and he replied “I’m looking out the window from TSMC’s offices, and I do not see a red tide.”

(TR/Phil Sweeney)