TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Semiconductor supply chain resilience has become a focal point in the complex U.S.-Taiwan-China relationship, particularly as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) expands operations to the United States. In an exclusive interview with TVBS, scholars Larry Diamond of the Hoover Institution and Orville Schell of the Asia Society addressed these developments in their newly edited book, "Silicon Triangle: The United States, Taiwan, China, and Global Semiconductor Security."
"The challenge for us was twofold. How do we keep this microchip supply chain going?" asked Schell. "And second, how do we best, as Americans and as an American government, support Taiwan?"
The relocation of TSMC's manufacturing facilities to Arizona has sparked a lively debate in Taiwan. "The lion's share of global manufacturing is going to remain with Taiwan," Diamond assured, adding that TSMC's U.S. move is about diversification.
"The most important point to be made is that the United States commitment to ensuring that the people of Taiwan will not be coerced into some kind of future that they don't consent to," Diamond emphasized.
Schell sees the expansion as beneficial for Taiwan. "By moving a fab to Arizona, maybe one to Germany, and Japan, certainly, Taiwan is saying we are real, we have something to offer," he said. "It will tie the U.S., Europe, and Japan closer to Taiwan."
With Taiwan's presidential elections on the horizon, both scholars believe that the outcome will not substantially change the existing dynamics. "I think whoever is elected president in Taiwan, they will be very soberly aware of the volatility of the situation," said Diamond.
Schell concurred, saying, "President Biden gets much criticism, but I think he's done a pretty artful job on the one hand of pushing back and not being spineless."
The conversation suggests that while challenges persist, there are opportunities for a mutually beneficial relationship between the U.S. and Taiwan, particularly in maintaining a resilient semiconductor supply chain.