TAIPEI — Former US President Donald Trump "has a lot on his plate" and misunderstands Taiwan's role in the semiconductor industry, possibly because others have misinformed him, the island's Economy Minister Kuo Jyh-huei said on Sept 2.

Trump, the Republic nominee in November's presidential election, unnerved democratically governed Taiwan, which is claimed by China, by saying in July, "Taiwan should pay us for defence," and that it had taken American semiconductor business.

His remarks pummelled shares of Taiwan's TSMC, the world's largest contract chipmaker and a major supplier to companies such as Apple and Nvidia.

Speaking to reporters in Taipei ahead of this week's Semicon Taiwan exhibition, set to be attended by top executives from TSMC, Samsung and SK Hynix, Kuo rejected Trump's remarks.

"Taiwan did not steal the US chip industry," said Kuo, previously a senior executive of a TSMC supplier, Topco Scientific.

Taiwan helps complement the US chip industry in manufacturing, and makes chips as commissioned by US industry, he added.

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