Posted on 04/01/2022 5:54:40 AM PDT by FarCenter
Since Russia invaded Ukraine, Taiwan’s security has been on the lips of policymakers and analysts the world over, amid predictions China could one day follow Moscow’s lead and attempt to take over the island nation.
Both Taiwan and Ukraine are young democracies, whose national identity and political independence face the threat of aggression from a neighbouring superpower.
Taiwan, however, has a little-discussed secret weapon that Ukraine did not have – a dominance in manufacturing semiconductors that some analysts say could prove crucial in deterring an invasion by Beijing.
An invasion of Taiwan could trigger unprecedented global economic fallout due to the island’s position as arguably the most vulnerable single point of failure in the technology value chain.
Taipei’s “silicon shield” makes the stakes especially high for China. While Chinese President Xi Jinping has pledged to reclaim the self-ruled island by force if necessary, Beijing relies heavily on Taiwanese technology to power key industries that it is banking on to double its gross domestic product (GDP) by 2035.
“Taiwan’s integrated deterrence strategy must keep this stark choice between national objectives for Beijing clear,” Jared McKinney, a scholar at Air University, told Al Jazeera. “Either conquer Taiwan or maintain economic prosperity.”
(Excerpt) Read more at aljazeera.com ...
Taiwan is not a young democracy. It was created in 1949 after fleeing communism.
On the contrary, if China manages to replicate enough of the technology to be self-sufficient - not all of it, just enough of it - then they might bomb TMSC to set back the entire rest of the world and thereby gain a huge advantage, including a huge military advantage, which might take a decade to equal. During which time there will be little in the way of Chinese military abitions. (Oh, and 10% for the big guy.)
It is one hell of a note, when an old guy like me trusts Al Jazeera and Russia Today more than American media.
Some rumors are that the “Chip Shortage” is actually due to China building up its smart weapon stockpile. These use of the very same sort of navigation, camera and video processing chips cars use for back-up cameras, navigation, and other systems.
One small detail you’ve forgotten...missiles.
While Taiwan is being invaded, Shanghai is being obliterated
Just destroying TMSC is a lot easier than conquering the entire island, and doing so would bring China a huge strategic advantage, if they have either replacement capacity or sufficient stockpiles of chips.
Taiwan was not a democracy until about 1990. From 1949 until then it was ruled by the Kuomintang with the National Assembly and Legislative Yuan consisting of members that had been elected from mainland districts prior to 1949. Since new elections on the mainland could not be held, the members of those legislative bodies were the same for 40 years.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elections_in_Taiwan
Lesson ONE: A promise from Commies is worth about the same as used toilet paper. That applies to our home grown CommiecRATs as well.
Yep. The fact that Taiwan is a single point of failure for global economy is not a deterrent at all. It is the opposite.
I doubt the Taiwanese will put up much of a fight. Being taken over by the modern day Reds is not like beingvtaken over by Mao. Their standard of living will be a lot less affected by a Chinese takeover than it would by a full scale Okinawa style resistance. Too often we at FR forget that most do not value Liberty as we do.
The concept of a “Silcon Shield” is BS. The PRC wants those leading-edge technologies and sees Taiwan as a way to acquire them.
Al Jazeera is news and propaganda. The New York Times is all propaganda.
I, for one, would welcome a collapse in silicon chips.
It would put a real crimp in the plans of the globalist total-surveillance state and the social credit system they intend to put in place.
Might buy us enough time to depopulate a few thousand of them while they are in the process of depopulating us.
Ukraine’s grain shield was more important so see how that protect her from Russian invasion
From what I understand China could overtake Taiwan without too much difficulty. Unlike Ukraine, Taiwan is in an untenantable position. China may be waiting to see how the Russia/Ukraine situation is resolved before pulling the trigger.
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