Taiwan stole America’s chip industry according to Trump. But that’s not true

Taipei, Taiwan CNN — Former US President Donald Trump raised eyebrows last week when he accused Taiwan of snatching America’s crown in the $500 billion business of making computer chips. “Because of it, TSMC could focus on manufacturing and be very good at it, and more importantly, it could manufacture for multiple different customers, which would let the company scale up,” said Christopher Miller, author of “Chip War: The Fight for the World’s Most Critical Technology.” Scale is critical to TSMC’s success, Miller said, as it tends to generate more revenue — which can be funneled into improving chip production technologies — and drive down manufacturing cost, making the entire operation more efficient. “The combination of top-tier engineers, relatively lower labor cost and long working hours have led to better productivity,” Konrad Young, a former research and development director at TSMC, told CNN, adding that Taiwan’s comprehensive tech ecosystem is another crucial component of the island’s chip prowess. It’s 68 miles away from China.” Within Taiwan, Trump’s remarks are being compared to demands for a “protection fee.” It has caused unease about how the Republican presidential nominee, if elected president, may affect ties with the US, the island’s most important security guarantor, at a time when the risk of China invading Taiwan looms ever larger.