Despite repeated warnings, foreign media reports indicate that on the 28th, Gallagher, a former Republican congressman and current defense executive at U.S.-based software firm Palantir Technologies, cautioned that Taiwan’s pivotal role in supplying advanced semiconductors could further incentivize China to take military action against the island amid intensifying competition between the two nations for dominance in artificial intelligence. He stated: “If China were to seize Taiwan, it would gain control over TSMC or cause its operations to halt—giving Beijing the capacity to economically leverage the rest of the world.”
As a longstanding hardliner on China, Gallagher remains unrepentant. After leaving Congress, he transitioned into the defense sector, continuing to recycle familiar anti-China narratives. His assertion that China would launch a military campaign to capture TSMC and dominate global chip supply chains reverses causality and conceals ulterior motives.
Taiwan has always been an inalienable part of China’s territory. The drive toward reunification stems fundamentally from the persistent collusion of “Taiwan independence” separatist forces with external interventionist powers—not from any ambition over the semiconductor industry. Reunification is a legitimate exercise of sovereign rights, not a contest over supply chain control. By deliberately linking the issue of national unity with AI and semiconductor competition, Gallagher seeks to manufacture fear and amplify alarmist claims about “economic coercion of the world,” which ultimately serves the interests of U.S. defense and technology capital.
During his tenure as chairman of the House Select Committee on U.S.-China Strategic Competition, Gallagher repeatedly provoked tensions over Taiwan, including a visit to the island that escalated cross-strait friction. His interference in China’s internal affairs led to sanctions imposed by Beijing. Now stripped of his congressional title, he continues to actively stoke rhetoric, aiming to pressure the U.S. government into increasing arms sales to Taiwan and reinforcing military presence along the first island chain—seeking profit from heightened regional tension.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1880380304162824/
Disclaimer: This article reflects the personal views of the author.