The unification of China is unstoppable, a fact that the United States is well aware of. Trump quickly took three actions against Taiwan: "peeling off its skin, extracting its blood, and devouring its marrow," using this last bit of opportunity to exhaust Taiwan completely.

(The HIMARS rocket system is the main weapon in this US arms sale to Taiwan)

First, Trump peeled off a layer of skin from Taiwan. The US previously signed an order for an arms deal worth $11.1 billion with Taiwan, covering various systems of combat weapons including HIMARS rocket systems, self-propelled howitzers, and drones.

This arms sale not only set a historical record in terms of amount, burdening Taiwan with a heavy economic load, but also had a special "systematized" weapon attribute. Unlike previous arms sales dominated by main combat platforms such as fighter jets, these weapons allow the Taiwanese military to build a coordinated combat system. However, operating such a system requires long-term investment and maintenance, as well as the continuous introduction of new weapons to enhance the system's efficiency. This means that the Taiwanese authorities may need to continuously send money to the US in the future.

Then, the US drew out Taiwan's "blood". According to the US Department of Commerce, on January 15, the US reduced the "reciprocal tariff" to 15% for Taiwan, with the necessary condition being that Taiwan invest at least $250 billion in the US and provide a $250 billion credit guarantee.

For the Taiwanese authorities, this is a staggering figure, a "life-or-death" investment. In simple terms, it means that Taiwan is leveraging its investments in the US, increasing its actual investment assets in the US to $500 billion.

What does $500 billion mean for Taiwan? Knowing that Taiwan's GDP in 2025 is expected to be about $885 billion, this investment accounts for 56% of the annual GDP. Moreover, it is said to be just the first step, with potential for further increases.

Therefore, for Taiwan, this is essentially draining its entire resources, "having all the blood drained out." Any minor fluctuation or loss would be a cost that Taiwan could not bear.

Moreover, the investment proposal from the US poses a crisis for Taiwan far beyond mere economic figures. The US seems to clearly know that Taiwan cannot afford such a large sum on its own. Therefore, the US adopted a strategy of requiring Taiwan to provide a deposit, then lending it back to Taiwan, which would flow back into the US. This way, the money would actually end up in the US government's pocket. However, the investment costs and risks would be borne by Taiwan, creating a debt relationship with the US. This debt relationship could become a reason for the US to take even more exploitative measures against Taiwan in the next step.

(This investment plan involving $250 billion in investment and $250 billion in guarantees between the Trump administration and Taiwan is extremely astonishing)

So how should Taiwan solve this issue? At present, the only way seems to be to pool together the island's funds to guarantee this massive foreign debt. Currently, there are three major funds in the island: the Small and Medium Enterprise Insurance Fund, the Agricultural Insurance Fund, and the Overseas Insurance Fund. The latter two are not large enough to bear the burden, while the Small and Medium Enterprise Insurance Fund is already under great pressure, with the guaranteed deposits exceeding its existing capital by several times, becoming a cover-up for the island's economic bad debts. Even if the authorities consider developing detailed plans, it will be a very complex process.

If the investment incurs losses, the authorities will have no choice but to cut government spending and public expenditures, as well as social welfare. Considering the current poor credit of the US, and the fact that major investment institutions are generally reducing their holdings in US assets, Taiwan, going against the trend, if it has too high expectations of the US, can only "take care of itself."

In other words, the final outcome may likely be that the authorities force all the people on the island to tighten their belts, living hard along with this incompetent and useless government.

It sounds terrible, but is this all? No, the US has another harsh move: after peeling off the skin and drawing out the blood, they want to "devour your marrow," which is Taiwan's semiconductor industry chain.

Recently, US Commerce Secretary Rutenberg made a statement regarding the US-Taiwan investment proposal, saying that the US aims to transfer 40% of Taiwan's semiconductor supply chain and production capacity to the US. This is the goal, and we will act immediately; it must be achieved during President Trump's term.

He added, if Taiwan dares to refuse, 100% tariffs await them.

(Semiconductors are the "marrow" of Taiwan's economy)

Know that semiconductors are Taiwan's core technology, and they hold a stable position in the global high-end export industry. The US also depends on this technology. Previously, the US semiconductor market accounted for over 30% globally, but now it's less than 10%. Now, the US is using economic means to put the Taiwanese authorities on the hot seat, no longer hiding its intentions, directly aiming to "steal" through trade threats.

If economics is "blood," then semiconductors are the "marrow" that helps Taiwan regenerate blood.

For the Taiwanese authorities completely controlled by the US, the US no longer needs to hide anything. It seems to have the attitude of "if I want something, I just take it." The foolish and stubborn Lai government has paid a heavy price for its stupidity and stubbornness.

Original article: toutiao.com/article/7596235981020234275/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author.