It provides about 90% of the world's most advanced chip production..and 50% of all types of chips
The “Silicon Shield” strategy poses a threat to Taiwan and America
The foundries of the semiconductor industry in Taiwan are described as a "sacred mountain range protecting the country".
Reuters
The Taiwanese army does not have the ability to defend itself.
Reuters
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Day after day, the tension between China and Taiwan is escalating, and fears are increasing that Beijing will invade the island, and this possibility has increased to a large extent following the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in late February.
The essence of the conflict between China and Taiwan lies in the fact that Beijing considers Taiwan as part of the Chinese mainland, and a province that must be rejoined within the framework of the "one China" policy, while the residents of Taiwan reject this and consider their island independent.
It is believed that one of the important elements in the framework of the Chinese escalation is that Beijing is also seeking to control one of the largest markets for technological industries in the world, in the context of the technological war between Beijing and the West, and Washington in particular.
The American researcher at the Asia Society Policy Institute and the Belfer Center at Harvard University, Christopher Vasallo, stated in an analysis published by the American National Interest magazine, that the "silicon shield" - which is called a strategy that considers China and America's dependence on the Taiwanese semiconductor industry the bulwark of defense of the island - is a concept. Outdated, it weighs on the US, emboldens Taiwan, but won't deter China, and a crisis may erupt showing that the idea is outdated.
Extra shield
The writer Craig Addison had mentioned that the idea of a "silicon shield" was first proposed in the New York Times more than two decades ago, where he explained that Taiwan possesses a shield in addition to the missile shield that Washington intended to establish in East Asia.
The core of "Silicon Shield" is Taiwan's massive share of IT products.
Edison explained that the semiconductors and computer components produced by Taiwan are so important that the world cannot afford to stop its flow or destroy its factories, as losses may reach trillions of dollars.
Since the outbreak of the Russian war on Ukraine on February 24, Vasalu says, US defense strategies have pressured Taiwan to modernize its military defences.
One of the main tasks was to align the supply of defensive weapons with the needs of the Taiwanese military, and to purchase Stingers and Javelins, rather than Abrams tanks and Seahawk helicopters.
In the process, US strategists neglected the issue of accelerating the weakening of Taiwan's "silicon shield".
The "silicon shield" refers to the protection supposed to be provided by the huge semiconductor industry in Taiwan, where the island is the factory of the world's chips, as it provides about 90% of the production of the most advanced chips in the world, and 50% of all types of chips.
Taiwan is the key to semiconductor supply chains that stretch across many countries, and for tens of thousands of miles.
strategic value
Savalo says that Taiwan derives strategic value from this hegemony, in theory, as it reaps a double deterrent that discourages China's intention to invade it, and also guarantees American protection, if this does not work.
The founder of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation (TSMC), Taiwan's largest chip maker, described the industry's foundries on the island as "a sacred mountain range that protects the country."
Analysts at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS) described the "silicon shield" as making the island "indispensable to both sides" in the context of the competition between America and China.
The "Silicon Shield" strategy is for Taipei to seek security through its weaknesses, with confidence that its customers in the West will protect it.
However, for this dual deterrence to work, Taipei is betting on Beijing's sufficient interest in stable supplies of chips from Taiwan, in the face of its parallel conviction that the island belongs to the heart of Chinese civilization.
If this is a mistake, the result will not be double deterrence, but rather a double disaster.
If this worst-case scenario happens, Savalu says, Taiwan's vulnerabilities will trigger a Chinese attack and insufficient US intervention to protect the island, which has not invested its defense potential.
Unease Savallo said that the "silicon shield" should make US policymakers extremely uneasy.
He says that China is already seeking to dominate the semiconductor industry, and its share in this industry has grown from 3% to 9% in recent years.
Beijing's pursuit of a "closed-loop ecosystem for semiconductor manufacturing" aims to strike at the core of the "silicon shield itself" logic.
To turn Taipei's strategic calculus in Washington's favour, America should emulate China's efforts to boost its semiconductor capabilities and reduce dependence on Taiwanese companies.
Such an approach should also prompt Taiwan to strengthen its solid defense capabilities.
Fortunately, policy makers in Washington have a readily available mechanism to catalyze Taiwan's shift from a "silicon shield" to a defense denial mechanism, i.e. ignoring the reality of the situation, says researcher Savalo at the conclusion of his analysis.
He added that the competition law with China, which is expected to be approved by Congress this year, will provide 52 billion dollars to support the semiconductor industry in America.
There is similar legislation in Europe, which includes providing 48 billion dollars, so that the countries of the West can together provide 100 billion dollars to localize the research, design and manufacturing industries in the fields of semiconductors, in safer places, in addition to pushing Taiwan to be more serious about the issue of self-defense.
• The "Silicon Shield" strategy is for Taipei to seek security through its weaknesses, based on confidence that its customers in the West will protect it.
• One of the important elements of the Chinese escalation is that Beijing seeks to control one of the largest markets for technological industries in the world, within the framework of the technological war between China and the West, especially Washington.
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