Any and all promises made by the Trump administration mean nothing
TSMC expected to announce $100B investment in U.S.
441–450 of 1001 posts
Re: TSMC expected to announce $100B investment in U.S.
#442Earlier quoted context omitted.
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Is Ireland historically and culturally British? Sort of. Is Czechia historically and culturally German? Sort of. Is Ukraine historically and culturally Russian? Sort of. Is Pakistan historically and culturally Indian? Sort of. Once you have to ignore the wishes of the population and resort to historical arguments, forced reunification becomes a conquest. I certainly wouldn't like my own government to start expansive…
Keep that same energy with israel then.
Re: TSMC expected to announce $100B investment in U.S.
#443Earlier quoted context omitted.
Invading Taiwan will never be an economically rational action. If it happens, it will be because of internal politics, personal/national myth-making etc. Taiwan is ridiculously favourable terrain for the defenders; if they fight back, there can't be quick victory, and the US will be able to play merry hell with China's naval logistics from day 1 (obviously with escalating levels of firepower available over time as mo…
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I see you posting anti-Western comments all over the place but amidst your irrational hate you are forgetting history.
Originally, the US was the protector of almost all Asian countries from Japanese Imperialism, an axis power allied with Nazi Germany. How are people like you forgetting the rape of Nanjing or the mass killings of civilians by the Japanese across the Philippines and many other places? How are you forgetting Japanese imperial occupation of Taiwan and Korea? How and WHY are you forgetting Japanese Unit 731 [1]?
Ironically, the government which fled to Taiwan was ousted by a Communist revolution and chased into exile. How likely do you think is it that this operation, destablilising China, was funded and supported by the communist Soviet Union?
Writing that "US is the intruder" in your other comments completely dismisses history and is a ridiculous show of brainwashed anti-Western propaganda spread by Putin, Xi, Trump and such authoritarian dictators.
Of course a whole lot more happened after 1945 and American war crimes in Vietnam and elsewhere are part of that. As a European, I am aware of American cultural and military hegemony but I much rather argue with raging capitalists about workers rights compared to raging authoriatarian communists who kill everybody not on their ideological side.
Given all that, I am also glad that Europe is now moving to emanciapte from the dependency on American security infrastructure but that doesn't mean NATO should stop or that the US should stop being allies with European nations. Trump gets his goal of spending less for European security but that comes with the loss of hegemonial influence.
Re: TSMC expected to announce $100B investment in U.S.
#444The idea that the US protects Taiwan from a possible Chinese invasion over chips is one of those things that sounds believable but really isn't going to happen. From China’s perspective, the cost of war is much higher than the cost of developing these chips themselves. In the worst-case scenario, they would be 2-3 years behind the cutting edge, which is not mission-critical. Most electronics (civilian or military) do…
> From China’s perspective, the cost of war is much higher than the cost of developing these chips themselves. For China it’s not about the chips. It’s about getting rid of the humiliation that is having a small island, that was originally part of China, not be a part of China.
And also a vibrant democracy, potentially serving as an example (foreign and domestic) that alternative political systems are an option and perhaps even desirable.
I have a strong impression there are similarities with Russia and Ukraine. Having a neighbor with a similar culture and overlapping histories that also has independent, democratic government was likely viewed as a direct threat to the Putin regime and one of the driving reasons for the invasion. I could see a similar calculation with Taiwan/China.
Re: TSMC expected to announce $100B investment in U.S.
#445Earlier quoted context omitted.
I think establishing a blockade is generally considered an act of war. Possibly a war crime if the intent is to starve civilians? (Not sure, this is way outside my wheelhouse). I’d expect it to be about as escalatory as using US ships to attack the mainland, more or less.
Not a war crime, China has plenty of agriculture. See the Cuban missile crisis. It is an act of war but certainly not as escalatory as direct attack.
Chinese agriculture is heavily dependent on fertilizer and energy imports. A blockade would easily result in famine.
In fact the history of China is just constant famines.
Re: TSMC expected to announce $100B investment in U.S.
#446Earlier quoted context omitted.
Is Ireland historically and culturally British? Sort of. Is Czechia historically and culturally German? Sort of. Is Ukraine historically and culturally Russian? Sort of. Is Pakistan historically and culturally Indian? Sort of. Once you have to ignore the wishes of the population and resort to historical arguments, forced reunification becomes a conquest. I certainly wouldn't like my own government to start expansive…
Keep that same energy with israel then.
No problem. Neither of the current populations in Israel should have the right to ethnically cleanse the other one, regardless of historic demography in 1900 AD or 1 AD.
Re: TSMC expected to announce $100B investment in U.S.
#447An ok deal for TSMC, terrible deal for Taiwan. Why? TSMC was likely threatened by Trump to invest in America. TSMC likely didn't want to do this. However, because they will have more fabs in the US, they'll likely avoid the tariffs as part of the deal. Further more, TSMC will still make chips in case of of a China take over. The risk here is that the US will simply confiscate TSMC's fabs if China uses military action…
My European gut feeling for a few years now is that Taiwan will be given...cought....sold to China, once all critical stuff is made on USA soil.
Why won't European or Canada or Australia defend democracy and provide Taiwan security guarantees and protection?
Re: TSMC expected to announce $100B investment in U.S.
#448The idea that the US protects Taiwan from a possible Chinese invasion over chips is one of those things that sounds believable but really isn't going to happen. From China’s perspective, the cost of war is much higher than the cost of developing these chips themselves. In the worst-case scenario, they would be 2-3 years behind the cutting edge, which is not mission-critical. Most electronics (civilian or military) do…
My impression after spending month and half in Taiwan last year is that China wouldn't have to fire a single bullet to take over the country. The only thing that would stop China is a US president with the strength to put two aircraft carrier strike groups between the island and the mainland. [0] If China needed Taiwan strategically they can surround the island in two days and take it the next. I concluded China is only postering and it is the economic threat with its ASEAN trading partners and the EU that keeps it at bay. The ASML chip fab machines are designed to be remotely disabled so they are not getting chips. [1] There is nothing to be gained from attacking the island and that is the reason it hasn't happened.
[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_Taiwan_Strait_Crisis#199...
[1] https://www.theregister.com/2024/05/21/asml_kill_switch/
Re: TSMC expected to announce $100B investment in U.S.
#449Earlier quoted context omitted.
[flagged]
I see you posting anti-Western comments all over the place but amidst your irrational hate you are forgetting history. Originally, the US was the protector of almost all Asian countries from Japanese Imperialism, an axis power allied with Nazi Germany. How are people like you forgetting the rape of Nanjing or the mass killings of civilians by the Japanese across the Philippines and many other places? How are you forg…
Yes, let's not forget history ( your [1] )
Those captured by the US military were secretly given immunity. The United States helped cover up the human experimentations and handed stipends to the perpetrators. The US had co-opted the researchers' bioweapons information and experience for use in their own warfare programRe: TSMC expected to announce $100B investment in U.S.
#450Earlier quoted context omitted.
> From China’s perspective, the cost of war is much higher than the cost of developing these chips themselves. For China it’s not about the chips. It’s about getting rid of the humiliation that is having a small island, that was originally part of China, not be a part of China.
And also a vibrant democracy, potentially serving as an example (foreign and domestic) that alternative political systems are an option and perhaps even desirable. I have a strong impression there are similarities with Russia and Ukraine. Having a neighbor with a similar culture and overlapping histories that also has independent, democratic government was likely viewed as a direct threat to the Putin regime and one…
Yeah, I subscribe to your theory too. It's odd how Putin and his defenders spout all sorts of theories about the evil of NATO and "the West", but if you (addressing the dictators here) have faith in your arguments, why suppress viewpoints that disagree with yours, with media company closures, network firewalls and threats of years in the gulag?