It is certainly something we, and more importantly American geostrategists, have thought about.
From Turkey's state-run Andalou Agency:
Scott Bessent warns semiconductor concentration creates apocalyptic risk, announces plans for critical minerals alliance
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent identified Taiwan's overwhelming control of advanced semiconductor production as the gravest danger facing the global economy, warning Tuesday that any disruption would trigger catastrophic consequences.
"I would say that the single biggest threat to the world economy, the single biggest point of single failure, is that 97% of the high-end chips are made in Taiwan," Bessent told the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
He described a potential blockade or destruction of the island's manufacturing capacity as an "economic apocalypse," emphasizing Washington's efforts to relocate semiconductor production to American soil.
Bessent announced efforts to form a critical minerals alliance, including the G7, Australia, India, Mexico and South Korea, to break China's stranglehold on essential resources.
He said the bloc is working rapidly to establish independent mining, processing and refining capabilities to prevent Beijing from wielding "the sword over our heads....
....MUCH MORE, China, Greenland et al.
Some prior posts:
Taiwan Quietly Urges U.S. To Chill On The "Invasion Risk To World Chip Supply" Chatter (TSM)
I'm still wondering where Taiwan is at re: this December 2022 story:
"US mulls scorched earth strategy for Taiwan"
Ummm, have the Taiwanese weighed in on this plan?From Asia Times, December 6:US strategy to blow up Taiwan’s semiconductor fabs to deter China might do more harm than good....
August 28, 2019
Chips: How China Is Still Paying the Price For Squandering Its Chance To Build a Home-grown Semiconductor Industry
Should China ever invade Taiwan the TSMC fabs would be quite a prize.
We've looked at this oddity a few times, some links below....
July 3, 2019
China to Narrow Chip Gap With Taiwan Invasion
Did I say invade? I meant trade.
I must have been thinking of China's Defense Minister last month saying "China must be and will be reunited".
With the Taiwanese elections coming up it's probably as good a time as any for Beijing to make some sort of move. Probably not invasion though. China will want to test its military somewhere, our guess is Vietnam, before tackling Taiwan. So probably some sort of fifth column action, cyber, electrical grid etc. And the people to do it are already on the island, I mean if the Chinese could get one of their spies into Dianne Feinstein's office while she was Chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee (2009 - 2015), the guy was her San Francisco office manager, not, as reported, the chauffeur, if they could do that there is no doubt they have assets in Teipei.
So where was I?
January 16, 2020
As Concern Grows Over China’s Invasion Threat To Taiwan the U.S. Military Wants TSMC To Move Some Chip Capacity
And some thought I'd gone mad talking of chips and China and the island formerly known as Formosa (at least to the Portuguese).
p.s. can I start attending the Thursday soirées again? Please....
