Several large Taiwanese manufacturers are considering setting up a second headquarters overseas to ensure they can keep operating in the event of a Chinese attack on their country. The plans, which remain preliminary in most cases, highlight how global efforts to secure supply chains are forcing companies that play a vital role in manufacturing networks, especially for tech products, to make extensive changes.

“We have clients who are looking into or planning for setting up a second headquarters,” said Rauniei Kuo, a partner and head of the family office business at KPMG in Taiwan. The groups are “in manufacturing [and] currently looking for a location for a second headquarters in south-east Asia, just in case an emergency happens in Taiwan, to give them an alternative command system abroad that they can immediately activate”.

Taiwanese contract manufacturers have for decades formed the backbone of global supply chains for electronic devices and their components, including personal computers, smartphones, servers and telecom networking gear. They are also increasingly penetrating markets for industrial automation, medical devices and electric vehicles.