Taiwanese people often call Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, the world's largest contract chipmaker, as the "sacred mountain that protects the country" due to the company's economic importance. Yet that central role has its costs, as TSMC was dragged into Taiwanese politics as the self-governing island gears up for a presidential election on Jan. 13.
Candidates for Taiwan's vice-president referred to TSMC and its plans for international expansion during a live televised debate on Monday.
