(VitalNews.org) – Vivek Ramaswamy, entrepreneur, and rising Republican presidential candidate, says that one of the reasons the U.S. is so invested in keeping China from invading Taiwan is because America hasn’t achieved “semiconductor independence,” which he hopes to achieve by 2028.
Ramaswamy made an appearance on the Hugh Hewitt radio show where he discussed the significance of semiconductors and why he believes the U.S. should strive toward being able to produce them.
According to Ramaswamy, “China wants to annex Taiwan” for “two reasons,” one of which “is to squat on the semiconductor supply chain” of the island nation in order to “exert leverage over” the U.S. Ramaswamy said that wouldn’t happen on his watch and that he would “take a firm position on that.”
The second reason, Ramaswamy said, “is that they have unfinished nationalistic business” from the 1949 civil war. He said “if that’s the sole basis” for China invading Taiwan after the U.S. has “semiconductor independence,” then he would not send American troops “to die over that conflict.” Ramaswamy said this is also “consistent” with his “position on Ukraine.”
The GOP presidential candidate believes China intends to annex Taiwan by force before the year 2049, the one-hundredth anniversary of the civil war. Ramaswamy also thinks the rush to do so quicker by Chinese President Xi Jinping “before 2028” will change if he wins the White House, saying he will go “from strategic ambiguity to strategic clarify” when dealing with China.
Hewitt, clarifying Ramaswamy’s remarks, said it sounds like Ramaswamy would only be willing to go to war with China if they invaded Taiwan before the U.S. attains semiconductor independence.
Ramaswamy said he was choosing his words carefully, and that “Xi Jinping should not mess with Taiwan” before the U.S. has semiconductor independence, after which America’s willingness to go to war “will change” because it’s “rationally in our self-interest” to alter our commitments in such circumstances.
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