The founder and former chairman of the contract chipmaker UMC said on Thursday that he has restored his Taiwanese citizenship. Robert Tsao also announced more details of his plan to donate NT$3 billion (nearly US$100 million) to help bolster Taiwan’s defenses.
Tsao said on Thursday that NT$100 million out of the NT$300 million donation would be used to train 3 million people in civil defense. Another 300,000 people will undergo sharpshooter training, also financed through this part of the donation. Tsao says for that, he’ll need help from the military, police and local governments.
Tsao forfeited his Taiwanese citizenship in 2011 when he accepted an official offer to obtain Singaporean citizenship. At the time, Tsao was unhappy with Taiwanese authorities probing his business ventures in China.
In recent years, however, Tsao has become increasingly critical of Chinese authorities. After Beijing launched large-scale military drills around Taiwan following US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to the country, the semiconductor tycoon announced his donation to shore up Taiwan’s defenses. At the time, he called the Chinese Communist Party “hooligans” and “local ruffians” and said Chinese maneuvers were “unbearable insolence.”