Risks of conditional security promisesBy LeonardFong-sheng Wang 王鳳生Recently, remarks by US officials have drawn attention in Taiwan for linking security assurances to levels of investment and the relocation of semiconductor production capacity. However, when security assurances are articulated in conditional terms, they begin to resemble negotiated outcomes rather than stable institutional commitments. A security relationship framed as contingent on meeting specific industrial demands risks recasting Taiwan from an indispensable strategic partner into a supplier required to continually “pay” for protection. Proposals to shift a significant share of semiconductor production capacity overseas might be defended on grounds of risk management from the standpoint of individual firms. The question is not whether risks should be diversified, but whether decisionmaking authority and technological accumulation are being transferred along with production capacity.

Source: Taipei Times January 29, 2026 17:44 UTC