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How does your view comport with the fact that the supply shortages did not actually begin with the trade war or the pandemic? The problem worsened, certainly,
by topspin 5y ago
How does your view comport with the fact that the supply shortages did not actually begin with the trade war or the pandemic? The problem worsened, certainly, but global stock of components had been tight for years before any of these supposed causes.
If fault must be found with the US it is in the consolidation and outsourcing of manufacturing to a small number of manufacturers, removing competitors and excess capacity from the supply chain. China's part has simply been to grow; creating consumers and thus demand for products that it had previously not consumed.
- CamperBob2 5y agoAbsolutely none of this was a problem before the Trump sanctions took effect (which we can now call the "Biden sanctions," as he has done nothing to revert them.) There were occasional shortages of things like MLCC capacitors, some of them severe, but nothing as far-reaching as what we've been seeing. It is fairly clear that we'd still be in trouble absent the "easy to win" trade war against China, though. COVID alone would have been enough to upset the proverbial apple cart.
- OJFord 5y ago> before the Trump sanctions took effect (which we can now call the "Biden sanctions," as he has done nothing to revert them.) Surely at this point if not before you can just call them US sanctions, why party-politicise it? Just my 'two pence' as an outsider!
- the-dude 5y agoI disagree. Some of Trumps policies were ridiculed by the same people who now have the power and choose to continue the exact same policies. In some cases even more extreme. Keeping history within view helps to view current events in perspective. Reagan was ridiculed as well. He did a pretty good job at guiding the end of the cold war into a remarkably non-eventful event ( this could be worded better, not a native speaker ).
- throwaway4good 5y agoThe problem with the tech sanctions is that the bullet has left the chamber. Even if the Biden administration were to say fine - Huawei, you can produce your chips at TSMC, and SMIC, you can buy an EUVL machine from ASML. China would still persue a completely US influence free semiconductor supply chain, as the US has clearly demonstrated its willingness weaponize its dominance. From a Chinese perspective, the interest of state and its big unruly tech companies are now aligned. Alibaba, Xiaomi, etc. are all making chips now. It is not all given that the escalated tech war is a longterm winning move from a US perspective. But time will tell.
- ClumsyPilot 5y ago"It is not all given that the escalated tech war is a longterm winning move from a US perspective." This is what bothers me most about 'tough on China' folks, whats the next move? Foreign policy has to think few steps ahead. This is not looking much better than 'invade X country in middle east and figure out what to do next later"
- the-dude 5y agoDisagreeing is easy. Coming up with reasonable alternatives is not. Two steps ahead is bringing critical manufacturing back under one's control. Guess who wanted that?