Will the US die for Taiwan?
In the world chancelleries it is becoming one of the main dilemmas. Will they be willing to die for Taiwan in the US? Pietro Romano's editorial in the monthly Aereonautica e Difesa
In the world chancelleries it is becoming one of the main dilemmas. Will they be willing to die for Taiwan in the US ? For Formosa (the beautiful island, Portuguese copyright) could a direct clash between super-powers, the US against China, in short, the fourth world war be unleashed? The answer is yes. At least for many years to come.
Chinese Communist leader Xi Jinping has set the date of annexation (or return to the motherland, as they prefer to say in Beijing) at 2049, a cadeau for the 100th anniversary of the People's Republic. But there is also the hypothesis that the blitz could be brought forward to 2032, the year of the announced self-retirement of Xi Jinping. Two hypotheses that do not seem to be a prelude to any peaceful solution. The peremptory nature of the date was valid for the colonies of Hong Kong and Macao. This means that Beijing regards Taiwan as a foreign colony to be liberated.
Washington's fool in Afghanistan, in truth, does not make you sleep peacefully on the island, from the capital Taipei to the most remote country or to the highest mountain peaks. Nor does the weakness, internal and international, of the current US administration help. But the United States retains overwhelming military superiority at the moment (and for several years, presumably). And various medium powers of the Indo-Pacific area, from Japan to India, from South Korea to Australia, are increasingly and more sophisticatedly arming themselves in response to Chinese aggression, indeed emphasizing their relations with Taipei. Above all, Taiwan, its technologies, its factories contribute decisively to the US military superiority.
Taiwan is the heart of the global computer microprocessor industry, chip in English, that is the silicon chip with integrated circuits that alone or in connection with other similar circuits can perform the functions and operations necessary to process any "information" ". Devices that make it possible to operate cars, household appliances, cell phones, airplanes, in short, any technologically advanced instrument. Including, if not first of all, the military systems of attack and defense on which US superiority depends.
Taiwan, with its mega-group Tsmc (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, the most capitalized Asian company) and the constellation of upstream and downstream laboratories and companies, produces more than 60 percent of the world's chips. And it allocates a large portion of its profits (coupled with massive public investment) to maintain its technological advantage over rivals. The Taiwanese industry is currently believed to have an advantage over its Chinese counterpart for no less than five years. And that in many sensitive technologies, and used by the armaments industry – not only in production but also in processing – it has an advantage even on Silicon Valley. Moreover, it is even complicated for the US to increase its production capacities in a sector that is renewing itself at such a rapid pace. It has been calculated that more than a trillion dollars need to be invested to install a basic chip supply chain. To find yourself at the abc of the sector.
Taiwan chips are the steel in the backbone of the US military machine, it has been written. Some devices are common to civil and military applications. For many systems, however, the military sector needs “tailor-made” chips, more durable and resistant, even in extreme conditions, with tolerances to heat, cold, and nuclear radiation. Of course, from Raytheon to Northrop Grumman, various US industries have their own foundries in the States and Tsmc is investing in North America, but for quantity (and quality) the Taiwanese supply chain remains essential and Washington's dependence on Taipei is difficult to manage. reduce. From helicopters to combat aircraft such as the F-35, from missile systems to air and sea attack control systems, without the decisive contribution of Taiwan's industry, the most sophisticated US weapons would remain unusable. A genuine Taiwan survival life insurance.
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/economia/gli-usa-moriranno-per-taiwan/ on Sun, 23 Jan 2022 06:00:50 +0000.