Silicon Shield: Difference between revisions

Line 29: Line 29:

As seen in Silicon Shield’s main Wikipedia page picture, polling from the Election Study Center, [[National Chengchi University]] in [[Taipei]] consistently shows a complete lack of desire for Unification, which has never polled above 5% in the 30+ years of results.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Taiwan Independence vs. Unification with the Mainland(1994/12~2025/06) |url=https://esc.nccu.edu.tw/PageDoc/Detail?fid=7801&id=6963 |access-date=2025-11-22 |website=esc.nccu.edu.tw |language=zh-TW}}</ref> The annual polls cited measure Taiwanese Independence Stances from 1994-2025. Non Response (26.3% in ’95) beat Maintain Status Quo, Decide At Later Date (24.8% ’95) in the poll one time. In 2020, Maintain Status Quo, Move Toward Independence (25.8% in ’20) and Maintain Status Quo Indefinitely (26.5% in ’20) almost beat Maintain Status Quo, Decide At Later Date (28.8% in ’20). In the most recent years from the poll, Maintain Status Quo Indefinitely has been winning, (29.4% in ’22, 33.2% in ’23, 34.1% in ’24 and 34.6% in ’25) marking the end of Maintain Status Quo, Decide At Later Date’s dominance in the polls since 1996.

As seen in Silicon Shield’s main Wikipedia page picture, polling from the Election Study Center, [[National Chengchi University]] in [[Taipei]] consistently shows a complete lack of desire for Unification, which has never polled above 5% in the 30+ years of results.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Taiwan Independence vs. Unification with the Mainland(1994/12~2025/06) |url=https://esc.nccu.edu.tw/PageDoc/Detail?fid=7801&id=6963 |access-date=2025-11-22 |website=esc.nccu.edu.tw |language=zh-TW}}</ref> The annual polls cited measure Taiwanese Independence Stances from 1994-2025. Non Response (26.3% in ’95) beat Maintain Status Quo, Decide At Later Date (24.8% ’95) in the poll one time. In 2020, Maintain Status Quo, Move Toward Independence (25.8% in ’20) and Maintain Status Quo Indefinitely (26.5% in ’20) almost beat Maintain Status Quo, Decide At Later Date (28.8% in ’20). In the most recent years from the poll, Maintain Status Quo Indefinitely has been winning, (29.4% in ’22, 33.2% in ’23, 34.1% in ’24 and 34.6% in ’25) marking the end of Maintain Status Quo, Decide At Later Date’s dominance in the polls since 1996.

When referencing Maintain Status Quo in the poll, what they are talking about is the [[One China principle|One China Principle]]. In which Taiwan acknowledges it is part of sovereign Chinese territory, and claims that the Chinese mainland is the rogue province who needs to be under Taiwanese control.

When referencing Maintain Status Quo in the poll, what they are talking about is the [[One China principle|One China Principle]]. In which Taiwan acknowledges it is part of sovereign Chinese territory, and claims that the Chinese mainland is the rogue province who needs to be under Taiwanese control.

== One China Policy vs One China Principle ==

== One China Policy vs One China Principle ==

The Silicon Shield is a geopolitical and free enterprise strategy of prevention utilized by the country of Taiwan to deter a military invasion from China, also known as forced reunification ^[1][2]. The name Silicon Shield is a reference to Taiwan’s world leading semiconductor industry that leverages the United States’, its main ally, superior military power with the American economies insatiable desire for high end microchips.^[3] In plain English: Taiwan sells America cheap chips and in return the US will protect Taiwan from China.

The other deterrent strategy used by Taiwan is known as the Porcupine Strategy, which is that of last resort, also known as asymmetric warfare such as guerilla warfare. This strategy is logically inferior to the Silicon Shield as it is primarily to be utilized after an invasion starts. However inferior, Taiwan has not abandoned the porcupine strategy and continues to invest heavily in its own security, aiming to spend 5% of GDP on defense by 2030.^[4]

Conversely, the US is attempting to resurrect its own chip manufacturing industry. As such, it remains to be seen how effective the strategies of Silicon Shield and Porcupine will be long term as both are dependent on American support. If history is any guide, US aid can be fickle and unreliable. In order to secure its future, Taiwan will likely need to add a third or fourth prong to its deterrence strategies. Some other concepts of deterrence are joining a “NATO of the Pacific” like defense pact with countries such as Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, Australia, and potentially even countries like the Philippines and Vietnam. If that doesn’t happen, maybe even if it does, Taiwan may inevitably end up feeling like they need to turn to making their own nuclear bombs to guarantee their security.

CCP Territorial Claims over Taiwan

The Chinese Communist Party has for decades claimed Taiwan is a rogue province and is part of China’s sovereign territory through their One-China Policy. Not long after the communists won the Chinese Civil War in 1949, did tensions flare between Beijing, Taipei and Washington DC. The First Taiwan Strait Crisis and the Second Taiwan Strait Crisis happened in 1954 and 1958 respectively. It wasn’t until 1995 that a Third Taiwan Strait Crisis happened.

Then in January 2019, a potential fourth crisis began to brew when Chinese dictator Xi Jinping declared a desire to invade Taiwan using military force.^[7] A month after the Taiwan threat, China proposed the 2019 Hong Kong Extradition Bill which was immediately followed by the infamous 2019-2020 Hong Kong Protests. The totality of threats against their sovereignty and the events in Hong Kong, followed closely by the COVID-19 lockdowns in China and China’s Zero-COVID Policy, was not lost on Taiwan regarding their own security.^[8][9] The island nation has made it abundantly clear that they do not want China’s One Country, Two Systems.^[10] China has been accused of using what its critics call Salami Slicing Tactics in the South China Sea. Taiwan is not the only neighbor feeling Beijing’s squeeze as evidence by China’s nine-dash line claims over virtual the entire South China Sea.

Microchip Foundry Model

Starting in 1987, Taiwan fortuitously orchestrated international relations and began to pull the manufacturing of microchips lever using the Foundry Model. In which American companies still maintain control over chip design while Taiwan makes them. The idea, conceived of by TSMC founder Morris Chang, was implemented to great success.

In 1990, the US manufactured 37% of the world’s microchips.^[11] By 2020, TSMC alone accounted for more than 50% of the global wafer foundry market.^[12] Furthermore, according to a briefing from the US International Trade Commission in 2024, Taiwan was “capturing nearly 70 percent of global foundry revenue in recent years.”^[13]

American Desire to Defend

It wasn’t until the 2020’s, after the COVID-19 Pandemic, that Americans became astutely aware of the strategic complications accompanying the gradual shift in chip manufacturing.^[14] Up to that point, the US was seemingly running on autopilot following the end of the Cold War. Due to supply chain issues that reared their ugly head during the international health crisis, the global economy soon experienced massive price increases known as the 2021–2023 inflation surge.

Between 2020 and 2021, American car prices, ever dependent on microchips, increased 17.2%.^[15] American consumers are well known to be particularly sensitive to price increases. In 2022, President Joe Biden went as far as to virtually threaten China with war if they tired to invade Taiwan.^[16] A Chinese invasion of Taiwan would drastically increase the cost of microchips.^[17] Also in 2022 was the infamous Nancy Pelosi visit to Taiwan, which saw the island nation’s airspace get bombarded with violations from Chinese military aircraft.^[18] Proving Taiwan’s resolve on the Silicone Shield strategy, in 2024, two years after America passed the CHIPS and Science Act, Taiwan was still responsible for manufacturing 90% of the world’s most advanced microchips.^[19] In 2025, there was widespread market speculation in the American economy of an AI and microchip bubble.^[20]

America is desperately trying to restart its foundry industry, but it could potentially take decades and trillions of dollars to on shore it. This will still likely leave it well short of future Chinese chip manufacturing, though the US is currently ahead in design and likely will remain so.^[21]

Taiwanese Desire for Independence

As seen in Silicon Shield’s main Wikipedia page picture, polling from the Election Study Center, National Chengchi University in Taipei consistently shows a complete lack of desire for Unification, which has never polled above 5% in the 30+ years of results.^[22] The annual polls cited measure Taiwanese Independence Stances from 1994-2025. Non Response (26.3% in ’95) beat Maintain Status Quo, Decide At Later Date (24.8% ’95) in the poll one time. In 2020, Maintain Status Quo, Move Toward Independence (25.8% in ’20) and Maintain Status Quo Indefinitely (26.5% in ’20) almost beat Maintain Status Quo, Decide At Later Date (28.8% in ’20). In the most recent years from the poll, Maintain Status Quo Indefinitely has been winning, (29.4% in ’22, 33.2% in ’23, 34.1% in ’24 and 34.6% in ’25) marking the end of Maintain Status Quo, Decide At Later Date’s dominance in the polls since 1996.

When referencing Maintain Status Quo in the poll, what they are talking about is the One China Principle. In which Taiwan acknowledges it is part of sovereign Chinese territory, and claims that the Chinese mainland is the rogue province who needs to be under Taiwanese control. Taiwan appeared to be on a path of outright independence for a many years, but now seems to be diplomatically headed toward a place of maintaining the previous situation.

One China Policy vs One China Principle

The official name of Taiwan is the Republic of China or the ROC. The official name of China is the People’s Republic of China or the PRC. The ROC has the One China Principle, and the PRC has the One China Policy. Are you confused yet? It’s best to think of it in terms of two Chinas. In the ROC’s Principle (Taiwan) and the PRC’s Policy (China), both Chinas assert that they are the legitimate government of the other. The reason why goes back to before WWI. The ROC (modern day Taiwan) was established in 1912, after the defeat of Imperial China in the 1911 Revolution. The ROC (Taiwan), remained in charge of mainland China before losing the Chinese Civil War in 1949 to the PRC (Modern day China). In essence, both China’s assert that they are the one true China with fairly legitimate claims.

Notes