Seize iPhone chipmaker if more sanctions are imposed by US: Chinese economist

China regards Taiwan as a breakaway province that it will annex one day, whereas Taiwan considers itself an independent country. Until recently, the US had formal ties with China but the tone has changed now and president Joe Biden has said that the US would defend Taiwan militarily should the need arise. He also compared any possible Chinese attack on Taiwan with Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. 

In light of the latest developments, top Chinese economist Chen Wenling has suggested that in the event that the US levies devastating sanctions on China, the country should reclaim Taiwan and seize corporations like TSMC.

This would be a blow to Apple as the Cupertino giant relies on TSMC to manufacture chips for the iPhone, iPad, and Macs. No other company comes close, including Samsung which lost Qualcomm to TSMC because the former was apparently not satisfied with the high-end Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip that the South Korean company manufactured.

TSMC makes most of its chips in Taiwan and also has facilities in China and the US. The company is allegedly planning to build six fabs in the US over the next two to three years. China is of course well aware of that and Chen has suggested that the country must intervene to prevent the US from achieving this goal. Many of the best phones of 2022 are powered by chips manufactured by TSMC.