Penang, known as the Silicon Valley of the East, is a major hub for semiconductor manufacturing.
It is home to high-tech factories, innovation hubs and research centres, and has already attracted billions in investment from tech giants like Intel, Infineon, Lam Research and Texas Instruments.
“Whatever tariff policy (the US imposes) should recognise the fact that it is their own people that will be impacted as well,” Chow noted.
With Malaysia being chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) this year, the chief minister said he hopes an ASEAN-US summit can be held in Malaysia or the US as soon as possible.
This would facilitate friendly engagements and dialogues with authorities to minimise the impact of US proposed tariffs and restrictions on its semiconductor industry.
Industry players expressed hope that any American tariffs will be fair and level the playing field.
“We don’t know what Trump is going to do … if he slaps a tariff of, say, 25 per cent worldwide to all semiconductor companies or countries, then it doesn’t really matter, because we are all equal 25 per cent so we compete,” said Malaysia Semiconductor Industry Association president Wong Siew Hai.
“But if some countries are 25 per cent, some countries are 10 per cent – of course, if we are 10 per cent, then we will have a big advantage.”
