(This is Part III of a three-part series. Part I can be found here, and Part II is here.)

What will the U.S. do to help Taiwan? That is hard to predict. President Donald Trump has stated that Taiwan must spend more for its own defense, and he has criticized Taiwan because its chip manufacturing has outcompeted U.S. manufacturing — unfairly, according to Trump. Defending Taiwan does not show up on the list of things that concern Americans.

If the American public knew everything contained in this article, they might be more concerned. For example, if the PRC invades Taiwan and the U.S. stands by and lets it happen, the PRC will then control the most advanced computer chips industry in the world. According to Visual Capitalist and other sources, the PRC will control 68% of the advanced semiconductor market. Beijing will be able to use that near monopoly to deny the U.S. and the West technology that is vital for defense and for our way of life.

Controlling just this one commodity will cement the PRC as the world’s leading and most powerful nation. Americans will not like that result, and our standard of living and even safety will greatly suffer. If the PRC controls the super chip market, that impacts thousands of items that our nation and the rest of the world depend on. These advanced chips are contained in computers, cellphones, appliances, manufacturing, electronics, video games, AI applications, critical defense applications, communications, utilities, transportation, engineering, robotics, and space applications. Advanced microchips are the foundation of modern society. If the PRC controls this market, it will fundamentally change the nature of our world today.

No longer would the U.S. be the leader of technology, and our military will no longer be the strongest. Americans will not like a world where the PRC is dominant.

To prevent the PRC from acting against Taiwan, many things need to happen quickly.

1. The U.S. must rapidly build up the strength of the U.S. Navy in ships, aircraft, munitions, and personnel such that there can be no question that if we get into a shooting war with the PRC, the U.S. will win decisively. We don’t have much time to do this. The need is urgent.

2. Taiwan must substantially increase its defense spending. President Trump recommends that it spend 10% of its GDP on defense instead of the current 2%. Taiwan must not rely on the U.S. or any other nation to defend it. It is an affluent and prosperous nation, and it needs to turn those assets into a much stronger defense posture. A strong Taiwan will disincentivize the PRC to attack.

3. The U.S. needs to rapidly improve the size and capacity of its defense industrial base on a priority basis. That industrial base is essential to our survival, as we need more ships, aircraft, missiles, and defense than at any time since WWII.

4. The U.S. should continue to provide aid to Taiwan and sell it our most sophisticated and dominant weapons systems. World governing bodies like the UN, NATO, the EU, and ASEAN must establish official ties to Taiwan and recognize it as a sovereign nation. All U.S. allies should be urged to recognize Taiwan as a sovereign nation.

5. The U.S. must launch a Manhattan Project-type effort to become completely self-sufficient in advanced semiconductors to protect our military and economy from the threat from the PRC. Part and parcel with this goal is the urgent need to become self-reliant in mining, refining, and manufacturing rare earth metals essential to military and other critical sectors in our economy.

6. The U.S. must engage our allies, especially those in the Indo-Pacific, to recognize the threat against Taiwan and to also recognize the danger to them if Taiwan falls into the PRC’s hands. Some have likened the fall of Taiwan to tipping over a row of dominos. We know that the PRC has ambitions much deeper than just conquering Taiwan. The Chinese consider the INDOPACOM region their backyard, and they plan to dominate it. Just like Chinese behavior toward Taiwan has been abominable, it has likewise been equally worrisome against the Philippines, Japan, South Korea, and other U.S. allies in the region. The Council on Foreign Relations has predicted that an attack on Taiwan would precipitate a global depression that would last years and cut trillions in global economic output.

7. The PRC’s goal, which it has stated out loud, is for the U.S. to retreat to Hawaii. What does that say about our sovereignty over the territory of Guam? Thus, the U.S. must urgently make major investments in the defense of Guam.

These are only some of the vital links in a comprehensive strategy to protect Taiwan. Concerned citizens should alert your elected representatives that this problem needs urgent attention at the highest levels of our government. Our lives and future depend on it.

I have given this subject a lot of study and thought for some time. For more background information related to Taiwan, see the following articles:

Navy Missiles and the Defense of Taiwan: Part 1

Navy Missiles and the Defense of Taiwan: Part 2

What Are Rare Earth Metals, and Why Should We Care?

Taiwan In China’s Crosshairs

The Looming Taiwan Challenge