Taiwan

Some scientists have rowed 225 kilometers in 45 hours between Taiwan and Japan. It seems absurd but there are good reasons

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In 1947 the Norwegian explorer and ethnographer Thor Heyerdahl He had an idea To demonstrate that the former inhabitants of Peru were able to navigate to the coasts of Polynesia in pre -Columbian times: to manufacture a rudimentary raft and cover the journey himself. Sounds crazy, but experience went well and seems to have created school, like He has just demonstrated An anthropologist determined to reveal how humans were managed to travel between the coasts of Taiwan and the islands of southern Japan. Along with the rest of his colleagues he has chosen to follow the footsteps of Heyerdahl, manufacture a cedar canoe with tools from the Paleolithic and then launch to the Pacific waters. When, where … and how. Researchers who are dedicated to studying the first human settlements in East Asia have a rather accurate idea of ​​when and where the first migrations were made, but there is a question that still takes away their dream: how noses they moved? How did they travel through sea, raffling waves, winds and currents, with hardly any resources? How did the first settlers manage to arrive for example do 30,000 yearsTo the island Yonaguniin the archipelago of The Ryūkyūcurrent Japan? After all, Taiwan is more than 100 kilometers and the distance is even higher from the continent. “Simple questions”. That kind of questions are what the anthropologist was asked a few years ago Yousuke Kaifufrom the University of Tokyo. During his investigations in the deposits of the Okinawa Islands he found vestiges that give away that there were already humans in the region 30,000 yearsbut nothing that clarifies how they got there. “There are stone tools and archaeological remains, but they do not answer those questions,” confesses to The Guardian. That there were no evidence did not mean that Kaifu and his colleagues could not raise hypotheses … and demonstrate them. “We started this project with simple questions: ‘How did the Paleolithic peoples arrive at islands as remote as Okinawa?’ ‘How was your trip difficult?’ ‘What tools and strategies did they use?’ ” remember The Japanese anthropologist. “Archaeological evidence, such as vestiges and artifacts, does not offer a complete vision, since the sea, by nature, drags them. So we turn to experimental archeology, in a line similar to The Kon-Tiki expedition of 1947 of the Norwegian Thor Heyerdahl “. In the skin of the ancestors. Like Hayerdahl and his mythical expedition Kon-Tiki, Kaifu and his colleagues assumed the complicated task of putting themselves into the skin of their ancestors of thousands of years ago. How did they travel? How did they guide themselves? What materials did they use for their vessels to draw the currents of the region? First they tested with Juncos balsas and bamboo, but ended up ruling out the idea. With these materials they obtained too slow ships to overcome The Kuroshioone of the strongest sea currents and that conditions navigation in the northwestern Pacific. His next option was to try a canoe made with Japanese cedar, such as those used in the area thousands of years ago. In order for the experiment to be as faithful as possible to reality, the researchers talled a cedar one meter thick with stone axes and then carved it until opening a cavity inside and giving the shape of a canoe of 7.5 meters of length. The result was ‘sugime’, a boat not very different from those used thousands of years ago. In 2019, after waiting for the sea to calm down, a team of five crew (in which scientists and remakes were included) rose on board and tried it. And how did they do it? As the Paleolithic men, without GPS or any other modern navigation device, would have done only by the stars, the sun, waves and instinct. The expedition started from Taiwan Rumbo Yonaguni, in Kyūshū. The island is not visible from the Taiwanese coast (and in fact it was not for much of the journey, when it was hidden from the waves), but the scientists verified that on clear days it is not difficult to contemplate it from the mountains of Taiwan. Hence the populations of 30,000 years ago they met her. The raft left in July 2019 and its crew had to row more than 45 hours and cover a journey of 225 kilometers before reaching its destination. It was not easy, but the team reached Yonaguni to the second night, reinforcing the theory that thousands of years ago the first Okinawa settlers were able to travel in Canoas from neighboring Taiwan. During the syglura, yes, They suffered crampspain and hallucinations and even were forced to Browse water Often to prevent the raft from getting causing. “They achieved something extraordinary”. The experiment was completed in July 2019 thanks to the support of several institutions but has not achieved authentic impact so far, when the University of Tokyo He has revealed The experience. The reason? A few days ago there was a documentary about the trip and two academic articles published in Science Advances. In one the experts report the 45 -hour experiment between Taiwan and the island of Yonaguni. In the other they share virtual recreations hundreds of possible routes to know which could be the “most plausible”. “The general public usually considers the Peoples of the Paleolithic as ‘lower’, mainly due to their ‘primitive’” culture and technology, ” collect the report. “In marked contrast, our experiment has shown that they achieved something extraordinary with the rudimentary technology they had.” The experiment also confirms the growing interest in archaeological reconstructions and tests with boats that copy old models, something that (in addition to the case of Hayerdahl) we have seen in Indonesian research, France either United Arab Emirates. Images | © 2025 Kaifu et al. CC-BY-AR In Xataka | In 1973 a scientist wanted to find out why we fight. So he crossed the ocean in a mini raft full of strangers

Kawasaki and Foxconn already try nursing robots in Taiwan. The really ambitious is what comes after

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Soon, in some Taiwan hospitals, you could cross with a robot that guides you through the halls, wears a tray with samples or accompanies you to the consultation. It is not a prototype locked in a laboratory: it is already being tested with real patients. Behind the project are Kawasaki and Foxconn, and their idea is clear: that these robots are part of the health team since 2026. The robot that are developing part of an already known base: The Nyokkeya social model that the Japanese firm has used in residences, restaurants and even infrastructure facilities. This new version, which is being tested in the hospital Taichung general veterans From Taiwan, adapt that design to a clinical environment and gives it concrete functions designed to relieve part of the loading of health personnel. A Nurse Robot in Taiwan. The robot moves autonomously through the hospital corridors, thanks to a sensor system that allows it to dodge obstacles and avoid collisions. It has two arms with the capacity to hold objects, a compartment to transport samples or medication, and can guide patients by facilities. The Register points out that it could also Explain basic hygiene standards to users, although it is not clear if that function is part of the model that will be displayed soon. Everything indicates that the immediate objective is not to replace medical staff, but to assist it in routine tasks that consume time and resources. In a context like Taiwanese, where the shortage of nursing personnel is a real concern –and shared by many other countries-, The presence of these robots could relieve part of that pressure. Foxconn estimates thattaking care of transporting medications, samples or kits, Nurabot could reduce staff workload by up to 30 %. Who are behind the robot? The collaboration between Kawasaki Heavy Industries and Foxconn is not accidental. The first was a pioneer in industrial robotics in Japan and today manufactures automotive systems, the semiconductor industry and even surgery. The second is the largest electronics manufacturer for the world’s contract, and it has been betting on robotics and artificial intelligence as new growth engines. In this project, in fact, Foxconn has had Nvidia technology For the entire artificial intelligence ecosystem, from the training of models in data centers to the execution of algorithms in the robot itself. According to Nikkei Asiaboth companies are negotiating how production, technical support and the marketing of the robot are divided once it reaches the market. What comes after. At the moment, the robot is focused on hospital environments, but both Kawasaki and Foxconn have already shown interest in expanding their use to other sectors. The final idea is to build a versatile platform that can adapt to different environments and needs. In that scenario, the experience accumulated in clinics would serve as a test field for a future generation of multifunction robots. A kind of technological staff on which to build other more specialized models: customer service assistants, guides in public spaces, logistics assistants. What is trying today in a Taichung hospital could become the basis of a new category of robots designed to live with us on a day -to -day basis. OBJECTIVE: Get to the market in 2026. If everything goes as planned, the robot will arrive on the Taiwanese market in fiscal year 2026. Kawasaki and Foxconn have marked an ambitious goal: to reach accumulated sales of 200 units in the following year, that is, before the end of 2027. Yes, the price has not yet been revealed. Images | Nvidia In Xataka | The agents were supposed to go for AI in another dimension in 2025. As with other things of AI, it was only supposed to

China is at the gates of overcoming Taiwan in number of chips produced. Sounds very intimidating but it is not so much

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China will surpass Taiwan in 2030 in the production capacity of semiconductors. This is indicated by a recent Yole Group report that highlights how the efforts of the Asian giant will soon be rewarded. At least in the quantity section. Not so much in quality. Chinese-Taiwan tension. China has one especially delicate relationship With Taiwan, and that shows in the chips race. TSMC is the jewel of the Taiwanese crownabsolute protagonist in the semiconductor sector. No one produces more and better chips, and the restrictions that affect the People’s Republic of China (China) do not affect the Chinese Republic (Taiwan). China, however, has been investing in its own continental companies and manufacturing plants (“Foundries”), and that is giving results. The data. According to this study, the production capacity of semiconductors in continental China plants will represent 30% of the world total quota before the decade ends, when in 2024 it was 21%. Taiwan currently is the market leader with a 23%share, while China is already second with the aforementioned 21%. Behind are South Korea (19%), Japan (13%) and the US (10%). Big Fund. Beijing put years ago its plan to be a “complete nation” in the field of semicoductors. This is: not depending on anyone. To do this, he created the so -called Investment Fund of the Integrated Circuit Industry of China, popularly known as the “great background” or “Big Fund”. The economic support of this body has allowed SMIC and Hua Hong Semiconductor – two of the main manufacturers of Chinese semiconductors – to flourish especially. Chinese manufacturers evolve. The domestic plants of continental China have been growing in relevance, and They have invested significantly in expansions that allow working in chips for sectors such as automotive or generative artificial intelligence. All this makes the panorama for semiconductors in China improve, but only in a section. Good for quantity, bad for “quality”. The problem of these semiconductor plants is that they use less advanced photolithographs ranging from 8 to 45 Nm. Although these types of chips remain perfectly valid for industries such as automotive, IoT devices or appliances, they are not for advanced AI chips, which are in which TSMC dominates. The great Chinese promise, in trouble. SMIC, the main Chinese semiconductor manufacturer, has been trying to make the leap to a 5 Nm photolithographic node, but this technology He is choking. In fact, his 7 nm node already had Notable problems In performance per wafer, and failing to take that step is for the moment a negative note in that remarkable advance in production rhythms. And while his rivals for all. TSMC and Samsung have already overcome that photolithographic node and are going at full speed to start the mass production of 2 nm chips. It is expected that TSMC achieves it this year and that Samsung does it in 2026. Taiwan in fact is Testing your lithography A14 (1.4 Nm), which will enter large -scale production in 2028. Image | Xataka with chatgpt In Xataka | ASML’s new lithography team divides chips manufacturers. TSMC considers not using it until 2030

China has been launching the same message to the world about Taiwan. The date was 2027 … until the US bombarded Iran

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Now that there is a certain tense calm in the Middle East, there are many analysts who have turned the magnopolitical framework. In June we already commented that, in a turn of the most perverse events, the United States attack Iran intended to contain a nuclear proliferation could be the catalyst of another even more dangerous: North Korea. There was a second stage to draw: that of China and Taiwan. Start over. The analysts told of the New York Times That the American attack against Iranian nuclear facilities has added a new layer of complexity to the already tense geopolitical equation between the United States, China and Taiwan. What began as a diplomatic strategy became a sudden offensive that now serves as Element of study For Chinese leaders, who seek to anticipate how Trump would respond to an eventual crisis in the Taiwan Strait. His Erratic behavior And his willingness to resort to the use of force, even having previously rejected it, generate confusion in Beijing. China, they agree, observe this turn as a sign that Trump, far from representing a predictable position, could apply a logic of force equally in Asia if it perceives that their interests are at stake. Iran’s mirror. In the same way What North Koreahe Attack on Iran has been able to force Chinese strategists to Check your models of contingency with respect to Taiwan. Despite the obvious differences between the two scenarios, the essential lesson It is shared: Trump is willing to unleash military operations if he considers it appropriate, even against adversaries with limited response capacity such as Iran. Beijing, on the other hand, has a considerably superior military power and is known closer to the theater of operations than any American force. Even so, the possibility of a sudden escalation forces the Chinese to prepare For a Scenario fanfrom a diplomatic crisis to a direct confrontation that escapes their hands. Uncertainty about Trump’s red line is precisely what worries them. Taiwan and ambiguity. A constant in American politics towards Taiwan has been the calculated ambiguity: dissuad China from that invasion that sounds by 2027 (coinciding with The EPL centenary), without explicitly guaranteeing a military intervention. Trump has brought that ambiguity to an extreme level. At times ha praised Xi Jinping And he has given relaxes of distensionwhile in others he has hardened his rhetoric and has intensified The supply of weapons to Taipéi. For Beijing, this duality is disconcerting but also dangerous, because it cannot be certain to its behavior. In this context, Chinese analysts They have intensified His scrutiny, maintaining discrete meetings with American interlocutors in search of clues about the true limits of the former president. The impression they transmit is of nervous caution: they fear that the Trump’s unpredictability can trigger an unwanted crisis. Cross pressures. The tension not only emanates from Beijing. Remembered in another report the Time Magazine that within the United States and Taiwan there is fear that Trump himself, in his eagerness, ends giving something to China In a future summit with XI, perhaps in the form of an ambiguous statement or a significant omission about the defense of the island. Washington, as we said, maintains armament supply (And more) and exhortes Taipéi to increase his military spending, but it is the president who finally decides. That centralization of power and its erratic character They worry both in the Pentagon and in the Taiwanese presidential palace. We have Cash: The recent ones Chinese maneuversincluding deployment of aircraft carriers Beyond the first island chain, they are seen as stress tests: Silent drills to measure the allied reaction capacity and the degree of real commitment of Washington. Taiwan between lines and symbols. While Beijin accuses President Taiwanesa Lai Ching-Te de Separatismo, the island administration insists that it is the maneuvers and Chinese threats that They tension the rope. In turn, within Taiwan, there are those who interpret Trump’s attack to Iran as An indirect warning To the great powers, a coded message towards Moscow and Beijing: if a line is crossed, the answer could be immediate. But the comparison between Iran and China is dangerous. He Missile Arsenal from Beijing (which includes about 3,500 missiles Conventional, nuclear ballistic submarines and a rapid assembly) would make a lightning offensive like the one launched in the Middle East. China knows it, and that is why Multiply your deploymentsair incursions and Naval exercisesconsolidating a constant pressure on the island, designed to wear it psychologically and strategically. China between two fronts. Plus: while facing these uncertainties in the east, Beijing must deal with a growing perception of threat in the West. The Recent statements From the secretary general of NATO, Mark Rutte, alerting about Chinese military expansion and his possible coordination with Russia in case of crisis in Taiwan, reinforce the western narrative of China As a systemic challenge. Beijing, meanwhile, denounces that NATO seeks to justify its expansion to Asia using China As a pretext. A theater of shadows. In summary, Trump has shown that he can change course Without prior noticeand that feature, far from reassuring, introduces a dangerous volatility element. Meanwhile, China explores if you can find a loop to weaken American support to Taipéi, even Without resorting to force. And in parallel, the military apparatus of the United States and its allies fears that any calculation error, any word out of place at a summit, can trigger a chain reaction. The military action In Iran it is not just a specific act: it is a declaration of ambiguous intentions, one that has put all the actors of the Indo-Pacific board alert. Image | Chairman, Garystock In Xataka | That China performs 3,000 military air maneuvers over a year is not striking. To do it about Taiwan, yes In Xataka | It is the third time in a few months that China presents itself against Taiwan with an army. The island has decided to move on to attack

Taiwan believes having found the mythical planet 9 of the Solar System. Instead of looking for his light, he has been looking for his heat

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The countless frustrated attempts to find planet 9, a hypothetical giant gas in the confines of our solar system, have aroused the ingenuity of some Taiwanese scientists. Short. For years, astronomers have swept the sky in search of the weak reflection of sunlight that should get to us from planet 9, a demonstratedly ineffective task. Now, a team of researchers has changed the rules of the game with an ingenious idea: instead of looking for it, they have tried to detect their heat. Well, they have found two very promising candidates. Context. Beyond the orbit of Neptune, in an icy and dark region known as the Kuiper belt, the orbits of several objects seem to be grouped in a way that challenges chance. The trajectories of these transneptunian objects (TNos) align as if an invisible hand were guiding them. The most accepted hypothesis to explain this behavior is the existence of an unknown massive planet, the planet 9. Of existing, this distant world would have a mass of between five and ten times that of the earth. The problem is that it would be more than 400 astronomical units, so its light would be incredibly dim. To put it in perspective, Neptune is “only” 30 UA or 4,496 million kilometers. If we can’t see it, maybe we can feel its heat. A team from the National University Tsing Hua in Taiwan believes to have the strongest track in years on the real existence of the most wanted object in our neighborhood. The results of their study are not final, but they reach two promising candidates. Every object with a temperature above absolute zero emits thermal radiation, that is, heat. But while the light decreases with the distance following a relationship of the inverse of the fourth power (1/d4), the heat only decreases with the square of the distance (1/d2). This abysmal difference is the argument used by researchers to focus their search on the heat signature of planet 9. A needle in a haystack. The team resorted to the data of the Akari Space Telescope of Japan. Throwed in 2006, Akari dedicated his useful life to sweeping the full sky in distant infrared light, the perfect range to detect the thermal brightness of the planet 9. And he did it from space, without the interference of the Earth’s atmosphere. Astronomers set out from a list of unprocessed Disssdl detections: more than 5.2 million signals with many false positives. After limiting the search zone, eliminating known objects, filtering sources contaminated by galactic dust clouds and excluding static objects, which seem to be at the same point in observations separated by months, the list was reduced to 393 candidates. Of 393 candidates for two. He touched his hands dirty. The investigators visually inspected the images of the 393 candidates. They ruled out weak detections, artifacts at the edges of the sensor and, above all, the impacts of cosmic rays that can be perceived as a specific source of heat. After this thorough process, there were only two candidates. Two heat points that appeared where planet 9 was expected, had the predicted brightness for the theory and showed the expected movement: they were detected in the same place in a period of 24 hours, but there was no trace of them in the same place six months later. All to demonstrate. The two candidates were baptized as FISSDL J0250422-15011 and FISSDL J0301112-164240. But to verify if these two heat points are really a single object moving in an orbit compatible with planet 9 will need new observations in visible light, with sufficiently powerful telescopes to detect its weak optical brightness and measure its movement with precision. If confirmed, the discovery would not only solve one of the greatest mysteries of modern astronomy, but would revolutionize our understanding about how our own system was formed and evolved. Everything is to be demonstrated, but at least we have a hot trail to continue hunting. Image | ESA, Hubble, M. Kornmesser, CC By 4.0

Nvidia desperately seeks engineers for its Taiwan R&D center. They even accuse you of “stealing them” to TSMC

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Nvidia smiles at the future. The pulse held by the US and China governments is degrading their business in the latter country because the US administration prevents them from selling its chips to its Chinese clients to artificial intelligence (Ia) more powerful. Even so, the company led by Jensen Huang currently monopolizes about 90% of the market of the GPUs for Ia. It is likely that in the medium term its quota will be reduced against the presumable growth of competitors such as Huawei or AMD, but right now Nvidia has no reason to worry. And it does not have them because the semiconductor market to grow a lot over the next few years. According to the AMR consultant (Allied Market Research) In 2031 it will have a turnover volume of More than 263,000 million dollars. It is a real barbarity, especially if we are in mind that in 2021 its business amounted to just over 11,000 million dollars. Although the NVIDIA quota is reduced during the next few years, it is reasonable to assume that its business volume will be increased by market growth. The problem facing this company is now another. This is what the engineers who hire in Taiwan pay Nvidia’s directive dome seems to be very clear about what to continue growing next to the AI ​​chips market for data centers: expand. It is about it. However, we must not overlook that this company is dedicated to the design of integrated circuits, so it does not need to invest in the construction of semiconductor manufacturing plants; What needs to expand its network of research and development centers (R&D). And Taiwan is a very attractive destination. Nvidia already has an R&D center in Taiwan, and is launching another The semiconductor industry is The main support of the island’s economywhich has caused Taiwanese universities to develop specialized training programs that seek to place the highly qualified technical staff on the labor market that They require companies such as TSMC, UMC or Foxconnamong others. Nvidia already has an R&D center in Taiwan, and is launching another. However, you are facing a very serious problem: it is having many difficulties in recruiting the highly qualified engineers you need. It is surprising, but although in Taiwan thousands of engineers are formed every year, the companies of the island have a hard time recruiting as many as they need. Even to TSMC. To solve this problem NVIDIA has chosen to offer very high wages. An engineer who has just finished his studies and, therefore, has no experience, pays him a maximum salary of $ 83,000 annually. And an experienced engineer up to 185,000 dollars a year and a very juicy bonus. According to the Taiwanese medium EBC News Nvidia’s aggressive salaries’ policy responds to the need for attract TSMC engineers highly qualified. It does not seem crazy. After all, the law of supply and demand works. Image | Nvidia More information | Tom’s hardware In Xataka | Nvidia has to deal with the absolute distrust of several US legislators. His plan in China is in danger

Taiwan investors are preparing for hypothetical invasion for China. And they don’t know where to hide

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Donald Trump’s return to the White House has marked a turning point in the relationship held by the US and China. The commercial and technological war between these two powers It comes from afarbut The aggressive policy of tariffs that has deployed, although even in a little consistent way, the US administration has fueled the loop. The tension between countries led by Xi Jinping and Donald Trump is maximum, and Some experts believe That at the current situation the probability that China decides to invade Taiwan is higher than ever. In the 50s of the last century China was a very different country from the current one. He Chinese Communist Party Led by Mao Zedong he had defeated the nationalists who made up the Kuomintang after almost three decades of armed conflict. Imperial power He had disappeared and the country had embarked on very deep structural changes that culminated in the birth of the People’s Republic of China in 1949. The members of the Kuomintang retired to Taiwan that same year, and since then the shadow of the invasion looms over this island. Foreign investors in Taiwan recognize that they do not have a plan B “If an aggression against Taiwan occurs the investment decision becomes binary: either we stay exposed and absorb extreme volatility, or we quickly leave to preserve capital.” These words Steve Lawrence has pronounced themInvestment Director of the Swiss company Balfour Capital Group. From his statement it follows with absolute clarity that foreign investors who have opted for Taiwanese companies do not know how to proceed if there is finally an armed conflict between China and Taiwan. “TSMC is so great that investors’ expectations argue that the US will defend Taiwan. And he will do it strongly” The panorama paints badly. According to Reuters Foreign investors have retired almost 11,000 million dollars from the Taiwan sharing park during this year due to the fear of impact that tariffs on the global economy will have and in the relationship that USA and China support. The government of Joe Biden formalized that if China intervened militarily in Taiwan, the US would respond. However, the administration led by Donald Trump has not yet confirmed whether to defend the island militarily in the hypothetical scenario that China chose to invade it. Anyway, this situation in which instability prevails mainly condition a Taiwanese company: TSMC. This company is The largest semiconductor manufacturer on the planetand, therefore, it is Taiwan’s authentic jewel. In fact, he greatly supports his economy. This company quotes both in the Taipéi stock market and in the New York and the stock market brought the stock market alone at the beginning of this year. “TSMC is so great that the expectations of investors argue that the US will defend Taiwan. And it will do it strongly,” has declared Mikesh DaveInvestment Director of Araval Asset Management, a global arbitration background based in Singapore. Elbridge Colby’s position, one of Donald Trump’s trusted advisors, is aligned with this strategy. This tweet Posted by him In May 2023, it clearly reflects what the policy that defends with the purpose of deterring the Xi Jinping government: “We would be crazy if we allowed us TSMC falls intact to China” According to Gina Raimondothe former Secretary of Commerce, “USA buys 92% of her avant -garde chips from TSMC in Taiwan.” Colby’s tweet that I have mentioned in the previous paragraph suggests that the US should do everything in his hand to prevent China from appropriating the plants that TSMC has in Taiwan. However, during the last two years Colby has not been satisfied with insinuating this idea; He has publicly declared That if China invades Taiwan what the US should do is destroy the TSMC factories and not allow this initiative to fall on the Taiwanese government. Image | TSMC More information | Reuters In Xataka | The US confesses its worst nightmare: if China invades taiwan and controls TSMC the US economy will go to pique

The new US tariffs penalize Taiwan almost as much as China. And its chips industry is the most damaged

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The tariffs imposed by the administration led by Donald Trump They are here. The current US president has used this pressure tool throughout his electoral campaign, and just two and a half months after returning to the White House is running your promise. These taxes affect most of the countries with which the US maintains a commercial relationship, among which Spain is, but Taiwan presumably is One of the most damaged. And it is that the Trump government is determined to do everything necessary for the US to recover leadership in the semiconductor manufacturing industry. At the moment In Asia they occur 90% of memory chips, 75% of microprocessors and 80% of silicon wafers. However, the most outstanding country in this continent in this sector is Taiwan, with a production of 90% of high integration chips and 41% of microprocessors. This is the exemplary punishment to Taiwan: some tariffs of 32% The US administration is already taking the necessary measures to cause US companies to buy integrated circuits made of homeland. The tariffs you are approving They largely pursue this objective, and, despite the alignment in the geopolitical field that support the US and Taiwan, the manufacturers of Taiwanese chips are not at all safe from the tariffs. In fact, Donald Trump made a statement at the end of January which he presented his intentions with total. “In the very close future we will impose tariffs on foreign production of computer chips, semiconductors and pharmaceutical products to return the manufacture of these essential goods to the US” “In the very close future we will impose tariffs on foreign production of computer chips, semiconductors and pharmaceutical products to return the manufacture of these essential goods to the US (…) went to Taiwan; Now we want them to return. We do not want to give them billions of dollars in the ridiculous Biden program. They already have billions of dollars. They don’t need money; They need an incentive. And the incentive will be that they do not want to pay a tax of 25, 50, or even 100%, ” The current US president declared. The near future of which speech has already arrived. As explained The countryon Vietnam there are 46%tariffs; About Cambodia, 49%; over China, 34%; and about Taiwan, 32%. The case of the nation led by Xi Jinping is a bit special because the new tariffs approved by the administration of Donald Trump are added to those who had been deployed by the US government previously, which makes a total of 54%. Even so, to some extent it is surprising that Taiwan comes out so disadvantaged. In any case, in regard to this last country, this measure is consistent with the statements in which Donald Trump anticipated that he wants the US to recover leadership in the semiconductor industry. However, Taiwan still has an oxygen ball, although It seems that it will not last long. And is that an epigraph of the newly announced tariff plan Expressalthough in an unclear way, that tariffs for some specific products, such as semiconductors or medicines, will not yet come into force. In that case they will presumably be temporarily subject to the universal tariff of 10%. In Xataka | The USA hits China again with a double purpose: to stop the development of its hypersonic superorders and missiles In Xataka | What’s behind the chips megafabrica that TSMC and Samsung plan to build in Arab Emirates

China has surrounded the island of Taiwan again. The problem is that we now know the US response if there is an invasion

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China lo has done againand this time he has a very clear recipient. Beijing has started Your second day of large -scale military exercises around Taiwan. The number of troops and the enormity of the fleet that is currently in the area is a direct response to The statements From the Taiwanese president, Lai Ching-Te, who had defined China as a “hostile foreign force” announcing measures to counteract the interference and espionage of Beijing. The problem: A document He has revealed what the US response would be. A warning. According to the spokesman The popular liberation army, the maneuvers that are currently taking place simulate the total control of the island, including maritime blocks, attacks on land and sea objectives, and control of strategic routes. As we said, this time, unlike other exercises, China made it clear that the operation It is a “punishment” Against the independence positions of LAI, who belongs to the Democratic Progressive Party and denies that Taiwan is part of China. Without crossing lines. A few hours ago, Taiwan’s Ministry of Defense reported that, only on Tuesday, they were registered 71 air incursions and the presence of 21 ships, including Shandong aircraft carrier, which operated in the vicinity of Taiwan. It should also be clarified that although none of these elements violated the limit of 24 nautical miles established by Taiwan’s adjoining zone, experts consider that maneuvers seek to raise psychological and military pressure on the island. In addition, the China Coast Guard patrol Islands controlled by Taipéithus increasing the sensation of fence. Specialists like Chieh Chung and his Tzu-Yun They pointed to New York Times That, although the military exhibition is “intimidating”, it seems calculated to avoid a direct escalation. Dual message. Although China frames these maneuvers as a reaction to Lai’s wordsanalysts consider that the message is also addressed to another nation: United States. As we have counted before, the Government of Lai has strengthened links With Washington, promising to increase military spending to More than 3% of GDP to maintain deterrence against Beijing. In parallel, the United States Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegesh, reaffirmed from Japan The American commitment With stability and defense in the Taiwan Strait, highlighting the strategic priority of preventing a forced taking of the island. In this context, China seeks, According to Amanda Hsiao and Wen-Ti Sungdemonstrate firmness before Trump’s government Without completely closing The door to the de -escalated, especially when commercial tensions persist and new US rates against Chinese products persist. However, as we said at the beginning, we now also know Washington’s response if tensions go more. Pentagon secret guide. I told the weekend in a Exclusive Washington Post. Secretary of Defense Hegesh had issued a secret guide that redefines the strategic priorities of the pentagon, almost exclusively focusing military preparation on Taiwan’s defense Before a possible attack by China and in the protection of the US territory, even at the expense of reducing its global presence. Said document, called Interim National Defense Strategic Guidancedistributed in March and classified as “secret”, instructs the Armed Forces to “assume risks” in other regions such as Europe, the Middle East and Africa, delegating much of the responsibility of facing regional threats such as Russia, Iran or North Korea. The strategy leaves no doubt: it orders the Pentagon to redirect its resources to prevent China from achieving a rapid occupation of Taiwan and strengthening the defense of strategic places in the American continent, Like Greenland and The Panama Canal. Absolute priority: a single scenario. The new orientation revealed marks a radical turn with respect to previous administrations by identifying China as the only strategic threat (“Pacing Threat”) and Taiwan’s defense as the only scenario that guides the structure of forces and the allocation of resources. In fact, the strategy Discard Russia As the main focus of planning, delegating its containment almost completely to the European forces. Plus: The anti -terrorist missions would be limited to face groups with the ability and will to attack US territory, relegating operations against militias that only destabilize their own regions. Exercises in Taiwan The Heritage Foundation report. It is the germ of the memo to which the post has had access. The document carries the fingerprint of The Heritage Foundation, a closely Think Tank Tank Linked to the Trump Administration. Moreover, the post that there are many passages that are practically identical to the Heritage report published in 2024centered on three axes: deterrence of the Chinese invasion of Taiwan, defense of the US territory and increased the military burden of the allies. Even Alexander Velez-Green, co-author of the Heritage report, currently occupies An interim key position In the Pentagon. The similarity, in fact, has already been recognized by Congress advisors, who consider that the guide is directly inspired by the recommendations of the Think Tank, which confirms The growing influence of Heritage in the American defense policy. Deployment and pressure. The magnitude of the brief is understood in figures. The plan orders to strengthen the Military presence in the Indo-Pacific With submarines, bombers, naval drones and specialized units capable of destroying fortified and underground objectives, while demanding Taiwan to increase their military spending up to 10% of GDPwell above the current levels and NATO standards. At the same time and as we said, the Atlantic Alliance is urged to assume most of the defense of Europe, leaving the United States only the role of nuclear deterrence and limited support, especially if there is a simultaneous war with China. What does Taiwan say. He counted the post A few hours ago, the Taiwanese government and analysts have received the leak of the memo with relief, although that yes, with surprise that the Trump administration has placed as the highest military priority the deterrence of a possible Chinese invasion to Taiwan. The measure, in addition, comes after months of restlessness in Taipéi for the policy of “America First” and the weakening of international commitments, including the suspension of Military assistance to Ukrainewhich made the United … Read more

The plan to empty in six days its islands closest to Taiwan

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Two news in recent months have ended up becoming a revealing announcement. The first occurred at the end of January, when many of the Sakishima Islands (the closest to Taiwan) began a series of a series of any weekend Evacuation drills. Shortly after, Japan made a historical decision: deploy long -range missiles In some of these islands. How much? Enough to get to China. Now, in the face of doubts to a war conflict, it has officialized a plan. Evacuate mission. Japan has presented for the first time A formal plan To evacuate more than 100,000 civilians, including residents and tourists, of the remote islands near Taiwan, specifically Sakishima archipelagolocated at the southwest end of the country. The plan occurs in a context of growing military tension In the Taiwan Strait, where the threat of a possible Chinese invasion has generated concern in Tokyo and the international community. To be exact, the measure includes the evacuation of Approximately 110,000 residents and 10,000 tourists through the mobilization of ships and airplanes to eight prefectures of Western and Southwestern Japan, with the goal of completing the operation in a Maximum period of six days. The evacuees would be initially transferred to the island of Kyushu and from there distributed to different destinations that are already being prepared with temporary accommodations. Military and drill preparations. As we said at the beginning, the drills have been carried out In the last datesbut without great explanations about the main reason. Now, and as part of the reinforcement of security and logistics preparation, the Japanese government has announced that as of April next year it will carry out Evacuation exercises In the Sakishima Islands, which are part of the Okinawa Prefecture, a key region that houses almost 50,000 American soldiers and that has historically been considered strategic for the defense of Japan. In addition, and as we count a few days ago, the installation of units of Surface-Aire missiles on the island of Yonagunilocated only 100 km from Taiwan, and the construction of provisional underground shelters, equipped with food and supplies for at least two weeks. These measures seek to improve defense capacity in the event of an eventual attack and ensure the protection of local populations. Increasing tensions. Although the evacuation plan does not explicitly mention Taiwan, it is evident that the growing possibility that the self -governor island (claimed by China as part of its territory) becomes the epicenter of a military conflict has been the trigger for the initiative. China ha Increased military pressure About Taiwan in recent years and has not ruled out the use of force to Force “reunification”. The precedent of the Russian invasion to Ukraine and the hardening positions Geopolitics, especially after Donald Trump’s return to the presidency of the United States, has increased the fear that the Taiwan Strait becomes the next great focus of conflict in Asia. United States and the weakness of the alliance. Possibly, the key reason that has led to Japan to missile implantation long range and to formalize an evacuation plan is uncertainty with the United States. In fact, the evacuation plan has been widely Extended in Taiwanwhere it has generated worrying interpretations about the reliability of regional alliances. Many Taiwanese and local analysts see the Japanese initiative as a sign that Tokyo does not trust In which Washington, under the policy of “America First” of Trump, maintains your commitment to defense against a conflict in the Strait. To this we must add the Recent statements from Trumpquestioning the reciprocity of the United States-Japan Security Treaty and highlighting that Tokyo It is not obliged To defend the United States in case of aggression, which has accentuated these concerns. A culture broth that has led to the perception that Japan is preparing “discreetly” to ensure its withdrawal of vulnerable areas without depending on US intervention. Reinforce regional defense. As we also said, Japan, in addition to the evacuation and militarization of the Sakishima Islands, has intensified its defensive strategy through the planned deployment of long -range missiles In Kyushu, expanding its ability to respond to threats from the Asian continent. Simultaneously, the Senkaku Islandsdisputed with China and administered by Japan, continue to be a friction point that could further complicate security in the region. The Japanese government has made it clear that all these measures are part of a comprehensive strategy Based on the forecast of “imminent armed attacks”, as Yoshimasa Hayashi, chief secretary of the Cabinet said. Vulnerability in the islands. The population of the most exposed islands shares government concern. In this regard, The Guardian told That Gen Nakatani, Minister of Defense, recently recognized the “strong sense of crisis” that is perceived among the inhabitants of these islands, who have historically witnessed the territorial disputes and military maneuvers in the region. The proximity of Yonaguni and other islands of the archipelago to the Strait of Taiwan, as well as the growing presence of China in the surrounding waters, make the feeling of threat constant. Therefore, the combination of planned evacuationstrengthening shelters, Armament deployment And cooperation with Washington, despite tensions, has a fairly clear objective: reinforce Japan’s resilience to a possible military escalation. Image | US Pacific Fleet In Xataka | Japan has made a historical decision in the face of the uncertainty of the US: to display missiles that reach North Korea and China In Xataka | The Japan islands closest to Taiwan have begun to evacuate the area. They have been preparing for the worst for two years

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