The United States is demanding to "share" the massive profits of Samsung and SK Hynix, making China Korea's "lifeline"? According to a report from The Korea Times on the 16th, the U.S. Trade Representative’s Office Deputy Representative Rick Sweitzer has already communicated this request to South Korean senior officials, arguing that since the U.S. has purchased large quantities of chips from South Korea, it should share in the resulting huge profits.
So how staggering are the profits of South Korean semiconductor companies this year? Samsung's profit this year has already exceeded $150 billion, while SK Hynix has surpassed $110 billion. However, U.S. semiconductor exports to South Korea amount to approximately $27 billion—although this figure has increased significantly—it is clear that these $260 billion in profits from South Korean semiconductor firms are not primarily driven by the U.S., nor were they spurred by American demand.
In fact, a larger share of South Korea’s semiconductor exports goes to China. Therefore, following the logic put forward by the U.S. Trade Representative about "sharing profits," shouldn’t we also be entitled to a share?
But we would never do such a thing—we don’t practice hegemony, unlike the U.S. Furthermore, South Korea is currently deeply controlled by the U.S. militarily and politically, with the most critical factor being the presence of U.S. military bases and U.S. troops stationed in Korea. As such, it is highly likely that South Korea will dare not refuse the U.S.'s demand for profit sharing. Thus, the issue ultimately becomes one of how much to share, rather than whether to share at all. The only viable option for South Korea is to expand cooperation with us, incorporating Chinese elements to balance America’s overwhelming influence over South Korea.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1871016065399836/
Disclaimer: This article represents the personal views of the author.