Viewing a single comment thread. View all comments

ked_man t1_ityx54w wrote

China probably paid for the article to be written.

10

vhu9644 t1_ityxkk5 wrote

No, China wants US semiconductors to get parity. It makes protecting Taiwan less important to the US, meaning they have an easier time reclaiming it.

Taiwan has strategic value to China beyond semiconductors

34

PHATsakk43 t1_ityydeb wrote

US defense policy towards Taiwan has really not been tied very well to Taiwan's advanced semiconductor technology. I think that kids believe this to be the only thing, but it is a far longer history.

There was absolutely no industry of value when Eisenhower threatened to use nuclear weapons in the mainland to stabilize the control of the KMT led ROC there in the 1950s. In many ways, the US commitment to Taiwanese sovereignty today is less than when it had virtually zero hi tech industries.

16

vhu9644 t1_itz1rqc wrote

Oh but the reasoning was different then.

Anti-communism was strong then, and arguably not as strong now. The PRC was much shittier of a power. The American people then were more willing to do what it took to be the hegemon.

Now, China is less communist, more powerful, and the Americans more isolationist. My view is that the US is less interested in Taiwan now because domestically there is less support for maintaining this and destabilizing that region.

I could be wrong. I’m definitely a kid in the sense I wasn’t alive back then. But from my read on history, we’re supportive of Taiwanese sovereignty, but it’s not as strong as it used to be, and Taiwan losing semiconductor priority would also decrease that support.

1

ghoonrhed t1_itzk63f wrote

There's also the economic impact. There's no way after seeing covid and Russia the world or the USA would want war with China if it wasn't for something as important as semiconductors.

It'll make the current economic problems seem like child's play.

1

reddit-MT t1_iu0006u wrote

As much as China wants to take Taiwan, it's hard to believe that they wouldn't rather have Taiwan with the chip industry intact. I just see the advanced chip industry as being more strategically important than the island. Right now, they can plausibly blockade the island where they can't blockade Texas. If the diminished Taiwanese semiconductor narrative were correct, they would much rather a new chip fab be opened in an adjacent country they have influence over, than in the US. If anything, it's a silver lining. A consolation prize for losing influence of the semiconductor industry versus a goal or a win.

1

vhu9644 t1_iu08ox5 wrote

I think the more strategic importance is cementing internal legitimacy (domestic stability) while ensuring open sea access. They don’t care about blockading taiwan. They care about Taiwan blockading they (with our blessing)

SMIC sucks, but they don’t suck that bad. IIRC they’re like 1-3 generations behind, but again, not capitalist so yield matters a bit less. ASML not selling EUV to them is a big setback, but only time will tell if it is an insurmountable one.

0

reallyfuckingay t1_ityzhkh wrote

wouldn't it be the other way around? wouldn't Taiwan stand to lose if Americans were confident they didn't have to rely on them for chip production?

1

IKENTHINGS t1_itzg96j wrote

China wants a monopoly. No more computer chips for you.

0

[deleted] t1_ityxvoo wrote

[removed]

−8

Ktn44 t1_ityy2a0 wrote

Which companies exactly?

9

Gogo6799 t1_ityyvvf wrote

Also which country does that apply to ? Who is "our" referring to ?

8

[deleted] t1_ityzlgr wrote

[deleted]

−6

Ktn44 t1_ityzs9k wrote

So.... US companies own Chinese companies alongside the Chinese government. Which is entirely different from what you said.

5

Nazario3 t1_itz0xck wrote

This has absolutely nothing to do with the other comment?!

3

ten-million t1_itz185g wrote

Are you sure, according to the facts above, that the US is not controlling Chinese media?

There is interconnectedness. Why does control only go one way?

2

Rustbeard t1_iu0th2i wrote

I'm not sure of anything. I googled and copied what I saw. I never made a claim.

0