Buried in the trade data: $104 billion in IC exports over four months, up 83.7% YoY. US chip restrictions were built on the premise that China is a semiconductor consumer. Those numbers say producer, and every country now importing Chinese ICs becomes a constituency against tightening controls further. Taiwan's bind goes deeper than "Team America" loyalty. Its leverage depends on being irreplaceable in the chip supply chain, and 83.7% growth across the strait challenges that assumption from both sides.
Buried in the trade data: $104 billion in IC exports over four months, up 83.7% YoY. US chip restrictions were built on the premise that China is a semiconductor consumer. Those numbers say producer, and every country now importing Chinese ICs becomes a constituency against tightening controls further. Taiwan's bind goes deeper than "Team America" loyalty. Its leverage depends on being irreplaceable in the chip supply chain, and 83.7% growth across the strait challenges that assumption from both sides.
If our media kept people informed and updated about what China is doing, talk of war would become ridiculous. But no no no...