Federal officials have for years tried to wean Silicon Valley from its dependence on Taiwan, an island democracy roughly the size of Maryland that makes 90% of the world¡¯s high-end computer chips.
In secret briefings held in Washington and Silicon Valley, national security officials warned executives from companies like Apple, Advanced Micro Devices and Qualcomm that China was making plans to retake Taiwan, which Beijing has long considered a breakaway territory. A Chinese blockade of Taiwan, the officials said, could choke the supply of computer chips made on the island and bring the U.S. tech industry to its knees.
Two presidents have tried persuading the industry to change. President Joe Biden offered financial grants worth billions to improve the domestic production of chips. After that didn¡¯t work, President Donald Trump threatened billions in tariffs to essentially accomplish the same thing.
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