Taiwan’s security is key to global security, Academia Sinica Institute of Sociology researcher Wu Jieh-min (吳介民) said about the “Silicon Shield 2.0” strategy he introduced at a security forum last month.
It aims to ensure the security of the Taiwan Strait, allow Taiwan to fully integrate into the international production network and enhance its role in global economic security, because Taiwan’s success is the key to global stability, he said.
“In a world of interdependent semiconductors, the security of one country is the security of all countries,” Wu said. “The semiconductor supply chain is the lifeline of the competition between the US and China. It is not just a technological race; it is a battle for strategic dominance.”
Photo: Ritchie B. Tongo, EPA-EFE
Wu said the “Silicon Shield” theory posits that the world’s dependence on chips from Taiwan might serve to deter Chinese aggression. However, that dependence might also cause Beijing to covet Taipei’s chip production facilities, which would motivate aggression, he said, adding that another possibility is that China would disregard the chips altogether and attack Taiwan for other reasons.
Those possibilities affect strategic views and interests about Taiwan’s security and have a significant impact on global security, he said.
The importance of Taiwan’s chips to the global economy would force major powers, especially the US, to potentially intervene to protect vital lines of defense in the event of a Chinese attack on Taiwan.
Although China has developed its own semiconductor industry, disrupting global supply chains could cause greater harm to the US and its allies than to China, so the possibility of asymmetric damage must also be considered, Wu said.
The US hopes to strengthen its own chip manufacturing capabilities and reduce the risk of over-reliance on a single source, but this strategy is far from a quick fix, Wu said, adding that bringing semiconductor manufacturing to the US is challenging, costly and time-consuming.
In the meantime, the world would continue to rely on Taiwan’s semiconductors, he said.
“That is why the top priority is to ensure security across the Taiwan Strait,” Wu said.
Taiwan must also play a more active role internationally and global investments should be seen as an extension of Taiwan’s influence, he said.
“These investments are in the strategic interest of the US and its allies, and Taiwan and the West deepening their interdependence, would strengthen supply chain resilience,” he said.
The deeper Taiwan’s interdependence with democratic societies around the world, the more urgent the need for economic and security cooperation. However, Taiwan’s international support network is largely bilateral and informal, and cannot cope with increasingly complex geopolitics, he said.
Wu said that to create a safe and resilient semiconductor ecosystem, a comprehensive strategy is needed.
“Silicon Shield 2.0 provides a roadmap to enhance Taiwan’s role in economic security,” he said. “Taiwan’s success is key to global stability and proves that in a world of interdependent semiconductors, one country’s security is the security of all.”
A preclearance service to facilitate entry for people traveling to select airports in Japan would be available from Thursday next week to Feb. 25 at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Taoyuan International Airport Corp (TIAC) said on Tuesday. The service was first made available to Taiwanese travelers throughout the winter vacation of 2024 and during the Lunar New Year holiday. In addition to flights to the Japanese cities of Hakodate, Asahikawa, Akita, Sendai, Niigata, Okayama, Takamatsu, Kumamoto and Kagoshima, the service would be available to travelers to Kobe and Oita. The service can be accessed by passengers of 15 flight routes operated by
Chinese spouse and influencer Guan Guan’s (關關) residency permit has been revoked for repeatedly posting pro-China videos that threaten national security, the National Immigration Agency confirmed today. Guan Guan has said many controversial statements in her videos posted to Douyin (抖音), including “the red flag will soon be painted all over Taiwan” and “Taiwan is an inseparable part of China,” and expressing hope for expedited reunification. The agency last year received multiple reports alleging that Guan Guan had advocated for armed reunification. After verifying the reports, the agency last month issued a notice requiring her to appear and explain her actions. Guan
GIVE AND TAKE: Blood demand continues to rise each year, while fewer young donors are available due to the nation’s falling birthrate, a doctor said Blood donors can redeem points earned from donations to obtain limited edition Formosan black bear travel mugs, the Kaohsiung Blood Center said yesterday, as it announced a goal of stocking 20,000 units of blood prior to the Lunar New Year. The last month of the lunar year is National Blood Donation Month, when local centers seek to stockpile blood for use during the Lunar New Year holiday. The blood demand in southern Taiwan — including Tainan and Kaohsiung, as well as Chiayi, Pingtung, Penghu and Taitung counties — is about 2,000 units per day, the center said. The donation campaign aims to boost
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) said a magnitude 4.9 earthquake that struck off the coast of eastern Taiwan yesterday was an independent event and part of a stress-adjustment process. The earthquake occurred at 4:47pm, with its epicenter at sea about 45.4km south of Yilan County Hall at a depth of 5.9km, the CWA said. The quake's intensity, which gauges the actual effects of a temblor, was highest in several townships in Yilan and neighboring Hualien County, where it measured 4 on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the CWA said. Lin Po-yu (林柏佑), a division chief at the CWA's Seismological Center, told a news conference
RSS