U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin warned China that a war over its democratic neighbor Taiwan would have a “devastating” impact on the world.
“Make no mistake: conflict in the Taiwan Strait would be devastating,” Austin added.
An ADIZ is a publicly-declared area next to a state’s national airspace, in which approaching foreign aircraft must be ready to identify themselves and their location. The area allows time for the military to judge the nature of the incoming aircraft and take defensive measures if needed.
“So we are determined to maintain peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. And so are a number of other countries around the world—and that number continues to grow,” Austin said. ”Conflict is neither imminent or inevitable. Deterrence is strong today—and it’s our job to keep it that way.”
Austin met with his Japanese, South Korean, and Australian counterparts in two separate meetings in Singapore on June 3. Their joint statements emphasized the importance of seeing “peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.”
“The United States remains deeply committed to preserving the status quo in the strait, consistent with our longstanding one-China policy, and with fulfilling our well-established obligations under the Taiwan Relations Act,” Austin added. “So we will support our allies and partners as they defend themselves against coercion and bullying.”
A Chinese guided-missile destroyer “overtook Chung-Hoon on their port side and crossed their bow at 150 yards,” the command said. “Chung-Hoon maintained course and slowed to 10 knots to avoid a collision.”
Semiconductors
Despite having spent billions to prop up its semiconductor industry, China currently still doesn’t have the capabilities to produce the most advanced semiconductors, which are tiny chips that power everything from mobile phones and electric vehicles to missile systems and artificial intelligence.As a result, Chinese leader Xi Jinping wants to get his hands on Taiwan’s semiconductor industry, according to Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas).
“A rough, conservative estimate of dependence on Taiwanese chips suggests that companies in these industries could be forced to forego as much as $1.6 trillion in revenue annually in the event of a blockade,” the report says, noting that trillions more in economic activity could be lost due to second-order impacts.
“Ultimately, the full social and economic impacts of a chip shortage of that scale are incalculable, but they would likely be catastrophic,” the report says.
“Americans would lose access to key semiconductors that are in our laptops, phones, cars, and countless electronic products that have become the backbone of daily life,” Wicker added.
If China seizes control of Taiwan’s semiconductor industry, Wicker warned that American supply chains would be “extremely vulnerable to the influence of the Chinese Communist Party.”
“Beijing wants to seize that lucrative industry in order to gain a clear upper hand in the world economy. This could cause massive economic pain for the United States,” the senator added. “If Beijing gains control of Taiwan’s semiconductor industry, it could rewrite the rules of the global economy. Beijing wants to dictate the terms of any negotiations with the United States, costing Americans tens of millions of jobs and stalling our economic growth.”