Taiwan announced a conditional opening for LCD makers to build factories in China on 20 February 2010. That announcement was not an approval of any particular project: AU Optronics (AUO) filed its application in March, and Taiwan approved its planned Kunshan fab in December after seeking further assurances about investment and jobs in Taiwan.
What changed in February 2010?
Taiwan lifted its ban on building thin-film-transistor liquid-crystal-display (TFT-LCD) and semiconductor fabs in China, opening a path for Taiwanese panel makers to invest in generation-6-or-higher fabs under conditions. IEEE Spectrum reported the policy announcement on 20 February 2010. The rules included a cap of three approved fabs and a technology-generation restriction, alongside requirements for new investment in Taiwan. The stated aim was to let companies compete in China while keeping the newest core technologies at home. IEEE Spectrum
How AUO’s application became an approval
The policy opening and AUO’s project approval were separate decisions. AUO filed the first application on 15 March 2010 for a proposed 7.5-generation plant in eastern China. In December, Taiwan’s Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) Investment Commission approved the company’s planned US$3 billion fab in Kunshan. The commission had requested more information; AUO renewed its commitments to invest in Taiwan, promised not to lay off Taiwan staff, and was required to keep more advanced technology at home. IEEE Spectrum Taipei Times
The approval was not a blanket green light for every Taiwanese panel maker. The Taipei Times reported in December 2010 that Chimei Innolux had not yet filed a China investment plan.
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What conditions applied to LCD fab investment?
The MOEA’s published specialized review rules for LCD-panel investment set out conditions and factors including the following:
- The applicant should be a Taiwan LCD-panel manufacturer and should control the investment.
- For a generation-6-or-higher fab in China, the rules state a three-fab approval cap. The fab’s generation should be equivalent to or behind the highest-generation panel fab already established by that same company in Taiwan.
- Review considerations include investment in Taiwan and investment and research and development for next-generation fabs.
- The rules address reasonable compensation or royalties when the China operation uses technology belonging to the Taiwan parent company, as well as contributions to Taiwan’s economy and promotion of Taiwan suppliers.
- A China investment should not cause layoffs in Taiwan.
The specialized rules page identifies its latest amendment as 9 September 2015. A separate MOEA page records a 31 July 2024 revision to general review principles for mainland China investment or technical cooperation, but it does not establish whether the specialized LCD rules remain operative unchanged or how they interact with those later principles. These sources therefore do not settle the rules’ present-day status. MOEA specialized LCD-investment rules MOEA general review principles
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What AUO proposed to build
The reported figures below describe plans and projections in 2010, not audited results of the eventual fab.
| Item | What was reported |
|---|---|
| Investment | AUO’s initial planned spend was US$1.2 billion, with total investment of about US$3 billion, according to IEEE Spectrum. Taipei Times later reported the Investment Commission’s approval of the planned US$3 billion Kunshan project. |
| Planned capacity | AUO planned to begin at 60,000 glass substrates per month and eventually exceed 90,000 per month, according to IEEE Spectrum. |
| Substrate size and possible cuts | IEEE Spectrum described a generation-7.5 glass substrate measuring 1,950 × 2,250 millimeters, which could be cut into eight 42-inch panels, six 46-inch panels, or three 55-inch panels. |
| Stated Taiwan commitments | Taipei Times reported AUO commitments described at the time as NT$400 billion (US$13.4 billion) in Taiwan projects by 2022, plus NT$150 billion for other projects. These were commitments, not confirmation of completed spending. |
| Projected employment | The ministry estimated the stated projects would create 5,000 jobs over the next 10 years, according to Taipei Times. This was a projection, not a verified outcome. |
IEEE Spectrum’s 2010 report Taipei Times, 18 December 2010
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Why Taiwan changed course—and what it risked
The policy debate balanced market access against the risk that investment could weaken Taiwan’s industrial base. A fab in China could put Taiwanese makers closer to customers in a large market for big-screen televisions, reduce logistics burdens, and help them compete with rivals establishing production there. But policymakers also sought to protect advanced technology, domestic investment, local suppliers, and employment.
IEEE Spectrum’s contemporaneous account described Samsung and LG as pursuing factories in China, Sharp as having discussed supplying used equipment and helping establish a production line, and Chinese panel makers as receiving government support. These were reported plans and competitive conditions at the time, not proof that every proposal became operational as described. The same report attributed to the Taipei-based Topology Research Institute a forecast that Taiwan’s 7.5-generation fabs could face serious competition from Chinese 8.5-generation fabs entering mass production in late 2011. That was a 2010 prediction, not an established account of what followed. IEEE Spectrum
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The trade-off was explicit in officials’ and analysts’ comments. At a 23 February 2010 news conference, National Science Council deputy minister Jing-Yang Jou said: “Related regulations ensure that Taiwan still keeps the newest core technologies and, at the same time, more investments will be made locally.” In December, MOEA Vice Minister Hwang Jung-chiou said AUO’s commitment to investment in Taiwan had been a concern. Analyst Locke Chang of WitsView at TrendForce also cautioned that market potential and possible import tariffs did not ensure a project would be profitable. IEEE Spectrum Taipei Times
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Taiwan’s 2010 shift allowed a narrowly conditioned route for LCD investment in China; it did not amount to unrestricted permission to transfer the newest production technology. AUO’s March filing and December approval show how the general opening still left a company-specific review, with domestic investment, technology, and employment safeguards at its center.
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