Senior officials from the US Department of Commerce have recently indicated that the US government plans to allow leading semiconductor manufacturers including TSMC and Samsung to expand their chip manufacturing operations in China without facing sanctions, according to Taiwanese media outlet Economic Daily News. if true, the development would allow TSMC to expand production at its Nanjing and Shanghai plants. Last October, the US government imposed export controls on semiconductors and key components to China, though it granted a one-year exemption to major companies such as TSMC and Samsung. With the exemption period is set to expire this October, industry analysts have speculated that the US government may soon adjust its policies to relax export-control measures. [Economic Daily News, in Chinese]