Taiwan should join global semiconductor alliance against China: Expert

Taipei [Taiwan], February 8 : Taiwan should join the global semiconductor supply chain alliance against China in order to protect its technological advantage and national security, opined Wang Che-jen, an assistant research fellow at the government-funded Institute for National Defense and Security Research.
In a recently published paper titled "Automotive chip shortage: A look at Taiwan's strategic place in the semiconductor supply chain", Wang said that Taiwan's strategic place in the global semiconductor industry has been highlighted due to a shortage of automotive chips, reported Taipei Times citing Central News Agency (CNA).
The shortage shows that the supply chain for such products has become a matter of diplomatic, security and strategic concern, he said, while adding that one of the ways technologically advanced nations are tackling the problem is by attracting foreign chipmakers to set up plants on their soil.
Citing examples of how the US and Japanese governments, for example, have invited Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) to build facilities, Wang warned against such a move, saying that while it might help shorten global supply chains, it could also weaken Taiwan's strategic advantage in the semiconductor industry.
Wang also warned that Taiwan should beware of China's efforts to poach talent, given the latter's goal of becoming 70 percent self-sufficient in chip production by 2025, reported Taipei Times.
"Judging from experience, China's poaching efforts will only increase," he remarked.
According to the expert, the US semiconductor industry has been urging President Joe Biden's administration to form a semiconductor alliance with like-minded countries to prevent technological espionage by China. The Taiwanese government should guide the country's technology companies to join such an alliance to protect the nation's technological advantage and national security.