Posted on 12/11/2021 12:43:14 PM PST by elpadre
NEW YORK – Taiwan’s chip fabricators signed an agreement on December 3 to create their own semiconductor equipment industry, opening an “option to decouple from the West,” in the view of a prominent US research firm.
The Taiwanese initiative responds to Washington’s extraterritorial sanctions on buyers of US fabricating equipment, imposed by then-president Donald Trump in May 2020. The US asserts the right to block sales of chips produced with US machines or intellectual property.
The US sanctions shut off Chinese tech giant Huawei’s access to high-end chips of 7 nanometers and below, crippling what previously was the world’s top handset producer. Unable to make 5G phones, Huawei lost market share to Chinese handset producer Xiaomi and sold its Honor smartphone business.
The US sanctions, though, had little impact on Huawei’s telecommunications equipment business including equipment for 5G infrastructure, which uses older chips that are easier to source.
Taiwan will become “an advanced semiconductor production center,“ said Taiwanese Vice-Premier Shen Jong-chin, adding that Taiwan would invite chip equipment makers to move facilities to the island. The Taipei government plans to build one or two additional science parks in addition to the three parks now in service to accommodate the equipment manufacturers.
“We have a world-leading semiconductor industry in Taiwan, but 90% of our semiconductor manufacturing equipment is imported,” said Habor Hsu, chairman of the Taiwan Machine Tool and Accessory Builders Association, the Taipei Times reported.
He added, “In the wake of Covid-19 and the US-China trade dispute, international businesses will change where and how they make their products.” Four Taiwanese trade groups and three nonprofit organizations representing the whole of Taiwan’s high-tech industry signed the deal.
(Excerpt) Read more at asiatimes.com ...
File this under, China will control Taiwan without firing a shot.
The Taiwanese people are concerned. But the Taiwanese oligarchs, like oligarchs everywhere (including our own Zuckerbergs and friends) their loyalty is to other oligarchs and and to the Deep State, and not to their own people.
The Taiwanese people do not want creeping communism.
I'd guess Taiwan is easing itself into the inevitable.
Much the same as with the US.
Here are the two key sentences in the article:
“The Taiwanese initiative responds to Washington’s extraterritorial sanctions on buyers of US fabricating equipment, imposed by then-president Donald Trump in May 2020. The US asserts the right to block sales of chips produced with US machines or intellectual property.”
The Taiwanese chipmakers are protecting themselves from a potential blockade by the U.S. of imported chips made with U.S. equipment. The sanctions were aimed at China but they could apply to any foreign chipmaker that uses U.S. equipment, including those in Taiwan.
Parts of 'Silicon Valley' were not and are not in Silicon Valley.
About 25 years ago a company I worked for in Voorhees, New Jersey
that made plasma etch/deposition chambers, moved to
St. Petersburg, Florida.
Then after a number of years was bought by a Swiss consortium.
And I think more silicon wafers are now now processed
in China than the rest of the world combined.
Okay - now I'm curious - let's look it up.
Yeah - in 2020 China processed 5400 metric tons of
silicon wafers. Russia was next with 540 metric tons -
and the US was in 5th place with 290 metric tons.
'Silicon Valley' indeed...
Of course all (or most) of the stuff was invented in the
U.S. - but heck, let's just enrich the commies.
If TW falls to the Communist Chinese it will be a strategic necessity for us to destroy the Chinese semiconductor fabs rather than let them fall into the hands of the Chinese. I doubt the Biden admin has the guts to do so, but Trump certainly would. Permanently disability a semiconductor is as simple as breaching the cleanroom with a single cruise missile, bombshell or even a mortar round.
Ping!
US sanctions helped end America as the world’s foremost power. Well done idiots.
No wonder they are interested in de-coupling from the US...
Simple. A 20% tariff on all imported electronics and electronic components. That was easy.
There's not going to be any blood shed over reunification.
We have to bring back the electronics industry. Regardless of what Free Traitors think. A TARIFF WOULD DO IT.
STOLEN elections have consequences.
You won’t get an argument from me on that one.
Taiwan sees the writing on the wall... Biden’s NOT going to protect them. Biden talks loud — carries a little stick.
Taiwan has to ‘play nice’ ‘cause they’re standing alone.
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