Friday, August 05, 2022

Pelosi while at Taiwan met with the head of TSMC.

Websearch returns. TSMC is the biggest tech and financial player on the island. Multiple US firms use TSMC "foundry" capacity (foundry in context meaning producing chips for others on their designs, but with production capabilities largely unique to TSMC). 

Another related websearch. Forbes. TomsHardware. AsiaFinancial. The Register. CNNfinancial.

Knowing who TSMC is and its standing is more important than anything Pelosi said or did in Taiwan, long term. It was a propaganda visit. It was counter-propagandized by the Chinese, who spent some effort showing military hard-line demo for the people. 

China has no two-term limit for its chief executive, and Xi is seeking a third term, so the counter-reaction to Pelosi is broad, loud, and likely to last a bit.

The $52 billion pork to US based chip makers/sellers is a message to TSMC and China as much as yet again the people funding welfare for Big Tech corporations.

Sound and fury, signifying what, precisely?