Imposing tariffs on chips from Taiwan would not alter the reality that the US is dependent on Taiwan-manufactured chips, former US national security adviser John Bolton said yesterday.
Washington-based think tank the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation said the market share of US-made chips fell by 70 percent between 1990 and 2020.
Bolton said that because Taiwan is vulnerable due to China, diversification is reasonable, but it needs to be done with a concrete understanding of what “the real issue is, which is the ability to have cutting-edge capabilities that you can’t develop overnight.”
Photo: Reuters
US President Donald Trump’s reasoning that tariffs would incentivize US producers and investors to invest domestically shows a lack of understanding of the current global situation, he added.
“The international system is very complex, and it’s true that the whole world is really dependent on the chips that are manufactured in Taiwan,” Bolton said.
The quality of the chips made by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co is very high, so the level of investment involved is also “extraordinarily high,” he added.
Bolton attributed the situation to a lack of attention in the US for years, saying that Trump’s claim that Taiwan “stole” the semiconductor manufacturing business is “absolutely not true.”
Imposing high tariffs on Taiwanese chips would be a trade-distorting practice, he said.
“I think it’s very important for all customers in the United States to understand that their cost of doing business ... are going to go up and that that would either make their products more expensive, which would reduce their sales, or would eat into their profits,” Bolton said.
As the US is dependent on the chips for information technology, “there’s a big constituency in the United States that doesn’t want to see its cost go up across the board,” he said, adding that they could lobby members of the US Congress and others to persuade the White House not to put tariffs in place.
Bolton also expressed concerns about Trump’s attitude over the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, which he labeled “cavalier.”
Beijing is studying the Trump administration’s stance and determining what it would do in case of a provocation against Taiwan, he said.
Bolton also called on Taiwan to be more proactive in making the US public understand Taiwan’s role and importance to the US economy.
Taiwan has always had a very effective de facto embassy in Washington and the capacity to have many friends in the US Congress, he said, adding that it is time to redouble those efforts.
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
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
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