TSMC Could Sell Stake To Chinese: CEO
TSMC Chairman Morris Chang on Saturday said that his company is willing to consider selling itself to a Chinese bidder if the price "is high enough." Chang's came the same day that the leaders of Taiwan and China met for the first time since the two sides split in 1949.
Chang made the statement in the northern Taiwanese city of Hsinchu, home to the company's headquarters, for TSMC's annual sports day. As Nikkei reports, responding to a question whether he would consider selling to a Chinese buyer, Chang replied that he is open to the possibility, "if the price is right and if it is beneficial to shareholders."
He said with TSMC's current share price at 140 New Taiwan dollars ($4.28), he is prepared to consider an offer of NT$280 per share, though he said only a few suitors have deep enough pockets to ask for TSMC's hand.
"If some company wants to buy a 25% stake in TSMC now," Chang said, "it needs to pay at least $30 billion, which is a lot of money."
Chang's statement comes as Chinese tech conglomerate Tsinghua Unigroup is looking for Taiwanese acquisitions, raising concerns that China is posing significant threats to the future of the island's technology sector.
Last month, Tsinghua bought a 25% stake in Powertech, a microchip packaging service provider in Taiwan, and said it is interested in acquiring shares in MediaTek, a leading Taiwanese chip designer.