Experts said the world’s most advanced chip factory on the island would become “inoperable”, plunging the global supply chain into chaos – resulting in shortages of smartphones, computers and brake sensors. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan despite repeated warnings from the Chinese, claiming it was a “violation of the one-China principle.” He landed in Taipei earlier this morning and was greeted by Foreign Minister Joseph Wu, before China’s Foreign Ministry immediately slammed the move, calling it a “serious disregard for China’s powerful opposition”. Apple chip maker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) has warned that a war between Taiwan and China would make “everyone a loser”, causing economic turmoil. Scroll down for videos: TSMC chairman Mark Liu, pictured, said earlier this week that the chipmaker’s plant, which is the world’s largest semiconductor maker, would not be able to operate if the Chinese invaded as it cannot operate “with the violence”. Apple chip maker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) has warned that a war between Taiwan and China would make ‘everyone lose’ Liu stressed that it would cause a supply chain crisis that would extend as far as the US, which last month passed a bill trying to fix the shortage Police officers stand guard outside the Grand Hyatt Hotel as protesters take part in a protest against US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taipei TSMC Chairman Mark Liu said earlier this week that the chipmaker’s factory, which is the world’s largest semiconductor maker, would not be able to operate if the Chinese invaded. He told CNN: “No one can control TSMC by force. If you take military force or invade, you will render the TSMC factory inoperable. “Because it’s such a sophisticated manufacturing facility, it depends on real-time connectivity to the outside world, to Europe, to Japan, to the US, from materials to chemicals to parts to engineering software and diagnostics.” He urged Beijing to think twice before taking any action because China accounts for 10 percent of TSMC’s business. Liu stressed that it would cause a supply chain crisis that would stretch as far as the US, which last month passed a bill trying to fix the shortage. Taiwan made more than 60 percent of the world’s semiconductors last year, with Liu urging all parties to think of ways to avoid war so “the engine of the global economy can keep humming.” He added that lessons should be learned from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, as the war there has created a “lose, lose, lose” situation for the Western world as well as Russia and Ukraine. Pelosi’s visit makes her the highest-ranking US official to visit the island in 25 years. Speaker Nancy Pelosi arrived in Taiwan on Tuesday in a visit that defied warnings from China, angering the government Supporters hold a banner outside the hotel where US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is staying in Taipei, Taiwan Taipei claimed more than 20 Chinese military planes entered Taiwan’s airspace on the day of Pelosi’s visit Amid heightened warnings from China about Pelosi’s visit, four US ships, including the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (file photo), were stationed in waters east of Taiwan on “routine” deployments Speaker Nancy Pelosi tweeted a photo of the congressional delegation’s arrival in Taipei with the words: “Our visit reiterates that America stands with Taiwan: a strong, vibrant democracy and our important partner in the Indo-Pacific ».
Why China set its sights on Taiwan
China and Taiwan have a long-standing dispute over sovereignty of the island. China considers Taiwan part of its territory, more precisely a province, but many Taiwanese want the island to be independent. From 1683 to 1895, Taiwan was ruled by China’s Qing Dynasty. After Japan claimed victory in the First Sino-Japanese War, the Qing government was forced to cede Taiwan to Japan. The island was under the rule of the Republic of China after World War II, with the consent of its allies, the US and the UK. Chinese Nationalist Party leader Chiang Kai-shek fled to Taiwan in 1949 and established his own government after losing the Civil War to the Communist Party and its leader Mao Zedong. Chiang’s son continued to rule Taiwan after his father and began to democratize Taiwan. In 1980, China proposed a policy called “one country, two systems” under which Taiwan would have significant autonomy if it accepted Chinese reunification. Taiwan rejected the offer. Taiwan today, with its own constitution and democratically elected leaders, is widely accepted in the West as an independent state. But his political status remains unclear. It angered China, which sees the self-governing island nation as its own territory, even though it has never ruled it. Chinese President Xi Jinping has threatened to unite the two nations by force, with Beijing’s People’s Liberation Army conducting live-fire drills against White House urgings. The drills will take place from August 4 to 7, when the PLA will “conduct major military exercises and training activities, including live-fire exercises in the following sea areas and their airspace demarcated by lines of communication,” according to the state Xinjua news agency. In addition, Taipei claimed that more than 20 Chinese military planes entered Taiwan’s airspace on the day of Pelosi’s visit. As the speaker’s Air Force C40 approached Taipei, Chinese Air Force Su-35 fighter jets were crossing the Taiwan Strait, local media reported. The chilling video shared on Chinese social network Weibo appears to show amphibious tanks on the coast of Fujian along the Taiwan Strait. Further footage showed military equipment in motion in the city of Xiamen. The White House defended Pelosi’s right to go to Taiwan, even as President Joe Biden’s administration pointed out that the speaker makes her own decisions. They added that he heads a different branch of the government and that there have been no changes to the United States’ one-China policy, with the administration warning Beijing not to harm the speaker. Eight US F-15 fighter jets and five tanker aircraft took off from a US base in Okinawa to provide protection for Pelosi’s flight, NHK reported. Taiwan warmly welcomed Pelosi. The island’s tallest building, TAIPEI 101, was lit up with a message of welcome for Speaker Pelosi, and supporters held welcome signs outside the hotel where she is said to be staying. Her visit, which has never been publicly announced for security reasons, is part of a wider trip she is taking to Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea and Japan.
