As China pushes the world to avoid official dealings with Taiwan, leaders across the globe are realizing just how dependent they have become on the island democracy.
Taiwan is being courted for its capacity to make leading-edge computer chips. That is mostly down to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), the world’s largest foundry and go-to producer of chips for Apple Inc smartphones, artificial intelligence and high-performance computing.
Taiwan’s role in the world economy largely existed below the radar until it came to recent prominence as the auto industry suffered shortfalls in chips used for everything from parking sensors to reducing emissions. With carmakers including Germany’s Volkswagen AG, Ford Motor Co of the US and Japan’s Toyota Motor Corp forced to halt production and idle plants, Taiwan’s importance has suddenly become too big to ignore.
Photo: Reuters 照片：路透
That is not to say Taiwan is the only player in the semiconductor supply chain. The US still holds dominant positions, notably in chip design and electronic software tools; ASML Holding NV of the Netherlands has a monopoly on the machines needed to fabricate the best chips; Japan is a key supplier of equipment, chemicals and wafers.
However, as the emphasis shifts to ever smaller, more powerful chips that require less energy, TSMC is increasingly in a field of its own. It has also helped Taiwan form a comprehensive ecosystem around it: ASE Technology Holding is the world’s top chip assembler, while MediaTek has become the largest smartphone chipset vendor.
A big worry is that TSMC’s chip factories could become collateral damage if China were to make good on threats to invade Taiwan if it moves toward independence.
“Taiwan is the center of gravity of Chinese security policy,” said Mathieu Duchatel, director of the Asia program at the Institut Montaigne in Paris. Preserving the world’s most advanced fabs “is in the interests of everyone.”
(Bloomberg)
中國迫使世界斷絕與台灣的正式往來，此時全球的領導人卻了解到，他們對這民主島國的依賴程度已如此之深。
台灣以其製造先進電腦晶片的能力而備受青睞。這主要歸功於台灣積體電路製造公司﹝簡稱台積電﹞。台積電是全球最大的晶圓代工廠，也是蘋果公司智慧型手機、人工智慧及高效能運算晶片的首選製造商。
台灣在世界經濟中的角色大多不為人所注意，直到最近由於汽車工業的晶片短缺（由倒車雷達至減少排放等皆須用到晶片），台灣才成為全世界眾所矚目之地。包括德國福斯汽車、美國福特汽車及日本豐田汽車在內的汽車製造商被迫停止生產、將工廠閒置，台灣的重要性因此也突然變得不可忽視。
這並不是說台灣是半導體供應鏈中的唯一角色。美國仍居主導地位，特別是在晶片設計和電子軟體工具方面；製造最佳晶片所需之機器是由荷蘭的艾司摩爾所壟斷；日本則是設備、化學品和晶圓的主要供應國。
但是，隨著重點轉移到體積更小、功能更強大且用電更少的晶片上，台積電便愈發自成體系。台積電也幫助台灣建構了一個全面的生態系統，以台積電為中心：日月光是世界頂尖的晶片封測廠，而聯發科技已成為智慧型手機晶片組最大的供應商。
一大隱憂是，若台灣邁向獨立、中國果真入侵台灣，則台積電晶片廠恐受牽連，成為附帶損害。
「台灣是中國安全政策的重中之重」，巴黎蒙田研究所亞洲計畫主任杜懋之表示；保護世界上最先進的晶圓廠「符合所有人的利益」。
(台北時報林俐凱編譯)
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有讀者問 「無薪假」和「留職停薪」的英文如何區別？兩者似乎都是 unpaid leave？ 「無薪假」又稱「減班休息」。指企業獲利縮減，導致必須縮減勞方工時，資方 (management) 不支付勞方 (employees) 休假期間的工資。 不景氣時企業可以選擇「遇缺不補」(attrition)， 避免「裁員」 (reducing jobs through natural attrition rather than forcing cuts through layoffs)，更嚴重時的措施則是放「無薪假」(furlough)。 出國進修、育嬰假等的「留職停薪」是 unpaid leave (of absence)，是個人的選擇。因事故遭「留職停薪」調查，則是 administrative leave without pay 或 unpaid administrative leave. 裁員時資方在說：I am sorry I have to let you go.（抱歉，我必須請你走路。）的同時也得準備一筆 severance pay（遣散費）。 如果你離職時公司額外給你一個大紅包，叫做 golden handshake。 A golden handshake is a substantial sum of money given to an employee when they leave their job, usually as a reward for long service or good work. It can also be given to entice an employee to retire early. 不過「黃金握手」也有可能你太資深，薪水太高，公司希望你早點退休。 防疫必備詞彙：疫後經濟 無薪假 furlough 遇缺不補 downsizing through attrition 重點工作者 essential worker; key worker 防疫旅遊 pandemic-safe travel 防疫新生活 new pandemic-safe life （旅遊）踩線團 fam trip (familiarization trip) 重振國旅、安心旅遊
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