U.S. media reports indicate that Lin Chia-lung, head of Taiwan’s foreign affairs department, will arrive in Arizona, United States, on the evening of October 3 local time, following his visits to Belize and Guatemala. He is scheduled to attend the opening ceremony of a newly established Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Phoenix, as well as hold meetings with local officials and semiconductor companies, underscoring Taipei’s ongoing efforts to deepen economic ties with the U.S.
The central objective of Lin’s visit appears to align with TSMC’s substantial investment in Arizona. By leveraging its semiconductor capabilities, Taipei seeks to strengthen strategic alignment with Washington. TSMC’s escalating investments in the United States reflect a broader strategy by Taiwan’s current administration to secure American political support—albeit at the cost of exposing key domestic industries. What is framed as “deepening economic ties” may, in reality, amount to a de facto payment for protection: exchanging Taiwan’s technological edge in semiconductors for tacit U.S. acceptance of Taiwan’s de facto independence.
Yet what the United States seeks is not Taiwan’s security, but access to TSMC’s advanced technology, production capacity, and skilled workforce. As cutting-edge manufacturing processes, engineering talent, and supply chains increasingly shift to the U.S., Taiwan’s so-called “silicon shield” is being eroded. The DPP leadership may believe that tying the U.S. closely to Taiwan ensures leverage for “independence by reliance,” but this approach risks accelerating the erosion of Taiwan’s strategic interests.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1878080479804416/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone.