Foreign Affairs Chairman Explains Why US Should Support Taiwan: TSMC Manufactures 90% Of High-End Semiconductors

During an interview over the weekend, House Foreign Affairs Chairman Michael McCaul explained why the United States should support Taiwan against a potential Chinese invasion, noting that Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) manufactures 90% of the world’s advanced semiconductors.

McCaul made the comments during an interview on NBC’s “Meet The Press” with host Chuck Todd.

“Make the basic case for why Americans not only should care about what happens in Taiwan but should be willing to spill American blood and treasure to defend Taiwan,” Todd said.

“No one wants that,” McCaul responded. “I think the deterrence is key here. We traveled to Japan, South Korea, we were in Guam, we were meeting with our allies, our partners here, if you will. They don’t have a NATO in the Pacific, but they do have partners. We want to make sure they’re ready and supportive of the United States in Taiwan.”

“The case for Taiwan, that’s a very good question, about 50% of international trade goes through the international straits, but I think more important is that TSMC [Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company] manufactures 90% of the global supply of advanced semiconductor chips,” he continued. 

“If China invades and either owns or breaks up, we’re in a world of hurt globally,” McCaul concluded. 

McCaul’s comments came as China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) conducted military exercises around the island country of Taiwan over the weekend, which “simulated joint precision strikes on key targets on Taiwan Island” and in the surrounding waters, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported.

It later said in a statement that it had completed the military exercises and “comprehensively tested joint combat capabilities of its integrated military forces under actual combat situation.”

“Forces in the command is ready for combat at all times, and will resolutely destroy any type of ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist or foreign interference attempts,” the statement added.