Mith her visit to Taiwan, the Speaker of the US House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, sent a solidarity message of American confidence in democracy on the island. This is astonishing, given that the American Congress had just passed a clear vote of no confidence in Taiwan. There is no other way to describe the resolution on subsidies and financial aid for the semiconductor industry in the United States. The $52 billion and more is a vote of no confidence that America no longer sees the supply of microchips from Taiwan as secure.
Americans are not alone in this duplicity. European Parliament Vice-President Nicola Beer expressed solidarity with Taiwan in Taipei in July. But the European Union, as a symbol of distrust in Taiwan’s chip industry, has released 43 billion euros to nurture its own semiconductor industry. Japan stands democratically on Taiwan’s side, but subsidizes the construction of chip factories in its own country with billions. South Korea wants to at least catch up with Taiwan in the custom production of chips, the foundry business.