Worldcrunch
Donald Trump and Xi Jinping have negotiated a truce in their trade war, delaying China’s planned restrictions on rare earth exports. Yet Trump has been forced to back down in the face of a strong Chinese response, a miscalculation that could have long-term consequences, also for Taiwan.
China has banned imports of semiconductors from the American company Nvidia, marking a new episode in their technological war with the United States. China is standing up to Donald Trump, bolstered by its technological capabilities that rival those of the Silicon Valley giants.
Even if the exploding Hezbollah pagers was not the first supply chain attack, having thousands of remote, hand-held devices raised terrifying questions that hadn’t been widely considered before, marking a potential turning point in the public’s trust in their electronic devices, and in governments’ ability to protect them.
In an ominous speech in Paris, the French president warned that Europe is in mortal danger. Macron also suggested he may be just the man to save it.
By electing William Lai, the Taiwanese people have reaffirmed their desire for sovereignty and independence from China in the face of Chinese threats. And meanwhile, Donald Trump’s comeback could reshuffle the cards again.
The manufacture of a chip requires 500 operations on three continents. Both the U.S. and China want to master this incredible logistics chain. And with Taiwan crucial to the supply chain, there is both a cause and effect to try to calculate.