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Economist says China must seize TSMC if the US tightens sanctions:
The importance of the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, better known as TSMC, to the global economy cannot be understated. The world's largest chip manufacturer has a 54% share of the global chip market, which makes an economist's call for China to seize TSMC if the US imposes harsh sanctions on the country all the more concerning.
Bloomberg reports that Chen Wenling, chief economist at the government-run China Center for International Economic Exchanges, said, "If the US and the West impose destructive sanctions on China like sanctions against Russia, we must recover Taiwan."
Chen singled out TSMC in the speech at the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies at Renmin University last month. "Especially in the reconstruction of the industrial chain and supply chain, we must seize TSMC," she added.
TSMC is reportedly set to build six chip fabs in the US, though it has announced just one so far. "They [TSMC] are speeding up the transfer to the US to build six factories there," Chen said. "We must not let all the goals of the transfer be achieved."
Chen does talk about the scenario only taking place if the US hit China with Russia-like sanctions, which were put in place after it invaded Ukraine. Taiwan has long said it is an independent nation, while China insists it is part of its territory and has no qualms about using force to bring it under control.
(Score: 2) by tangomargarine on Friday June 10 2022, @06:36AM (1 child)
This is like that whole RIAA nonsense about "losing 10x what we made in a year to piracy"--you can't lose something you never had. (And it wouldn't be "for nothing"; it would be demonstrating willingness to be reasonable internationally. But that's not pragmatically worth anything.)
I suppose their leadership is maybe still terrified that what happened back in the Qing dynasty will happen again, i.e. a bunch of foreign powers come in and walk all over them. Although that seems pretty damn unlikely at this point.
"Is that really true?" "I just spent the last hour telling you to think for yourself! Didn't you hear anything I said?"
(Score: 2) by tangomargarine on Friday June 10 2022, @06:45AM
Oh, they actually *did* control Taiwan at one point? I thought that the ROC had basically taken the island away from the native non-Chinese inhabitants. Huh.
"Is that really true?" "I just spent the last hour telling you to think for yourself! Didn't you hear anything I said?"