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Does China have de facto control over chip production in Taiwan? If they do, why ever actually invade? If not, why haven't they invaded already?

by uoaei 4y ago

justinclift 4y ago
> If not, why haven't they invaded already? Taiwan's defence plan is basically to make invasion so costly, it's not worth the effort.
ajb 4y ago
Their strategy has been to set up their own foundries, which they have. SMIC is a Chinese-owned fab company with sites on the mainland. Because Taiwan is close and shares a language, they have been able to recruit and train staff who know how to operate a fab. SMIC didn't have a good reputation for quality when I last heard (which was ages ago), but that's just a yield/cost issue so I don't think they would have difficulty scaling it up if they are cut off from the west.
- hypertele-Xii 4y ago
  SMIC needs photolithography machines from Dutch company ASML. Sale of further machines has already been blocked by US. When their current machines fail for lack of maintenance and spare parts, they can't make chips anymore.
philwelch 4y ago
> If not, why haven't they invaded already? China has historically lacked the capability to land a sufficient number of troops on Taiwanese shores.
cturner 4y ago
China does not have such control. But to your question - > If they do, why ever actually invade? The power of the CCP surfs on top of a mythology. When ethnic Chinese people run successful, free, democratic countries it undermines that mythology. Consider how the CCP have trashed Hong Kong, which had limited democratic freedoms only. In the west, economic considerations are high on our motives. For the CCP, the central viewpoint is about pursuit and consolidation of political power. Economic considerations are all considered in the light of power priorities. There is a trap that westerners fall into of regarding live-and-let-live as the natural order of things. It is not, it is a set of values. The CCP come at the world from a different mindset.

Does China have de facto control over chip production in Taiwan? If they do, why ever actually invade? If not, why haven't they invaded already?

by uoaei 4y ago

Does China have de facto control over chip production in Taiwan? If they do, why ever actually invade? If not, why haven't they invaded already?

justinclift 4y ago

> If not, why haven't they invaded already? Taiwan's defence plan is basically to make invasion so costly, it's not worth the effort.

ajb 4y ago

Their strategy has been to set up their own foundries, which they have. SMIC is a Chinese-owned fab company with sites on the mainland. Because Taiwan is close and shares a language, they have been able to recruit and train staff who know how to operate a fab. SMIC didn't have a good reputation for quality when I last heard (which was ages ago), but that's just a yield/cost issue so I don't think they would have difficulty scaling it up if they are cut off from the west.

hypertele-Xii 4y ago
SMIC needs photolithography machines from Dutch company ASML. Sale of further machines has already been blocked by US. When their current machines fail for lack of maintenance and spare parts, they can't make chips anymore.

philwelch 4y ago

> If not, why haven't they invaded already? China has historically lacked the capability to land a sufficient number of troops on Taiwanese shores.

cturner 4y ago

China does not have such control. But to your question - > If they do, why ever actually invade? The power of the CCP surfs on top of a mythology. When ethnic Chinese people run successful, free, democratic countries it undermines that mythology. Consider how the CCP have trashed Hong Kong, which had limited democratic freedoms only. In the west, economic considerations are high on our motives. For the CCP, the central viewpoint is about pursuit and consolidation of political power. Economic considerations are all considered in the light of power priorities. There is a trap that westerners fall into of regarding live-and-let-live as the natural order of things. It is not, it is a set of values. The CCP come at the world from a different mindset.