TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Economics Minister Wang Mei-hua (王美花) said Thursday (Oct. 12) she was looking out for whether the United States would give Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) a permanent waiver to supply U.S. equipment to its China plants.

A report by the Wall Street Journal said South Korea’s Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix would be allowed to ship equipment to China indefinitely, but TSMC, the world’s largest contract chipmaker, would only receive a one-year extension.

The measures were part of export controls imposed by the U.S. last year to prevent China from using sophisticated technology to further its economic and military expansion.

Wang said TSMC was adept at protecting intellectual property rights at its facilities in China, the China Times reported. The semiconductor giant was also respecting all the requirements set by the U.S., the minister said.

Wang added that in her understanding, the Biden administration would allow the two South Korean firms to move U.S.-made machinery to their factories without time limits. However, it still remained to be seen whether TSMC would receive the same treatment or would only see a one-year extension of its current waiver, she said.