Taipei: Taiwan should join any global semiconductor supply chain alliance against China to protect its technological advantage and national security, said assistant research fellow at the government-funded Institute for National Defense and Security Research Wang Che-jen.

In a paper titled “Automotive chip shortage: A look at Taiwan’s strategic place in the semiconductor supply chain,” Wang wrote that a shortage of automotive chips has highlighted Taiwan’s strategic place in the global semiconductor industry, Taipei Times reported quoting  Central News Agency.

One of the ways technologically advanced nations are tackling the problem is by attracting foreign chipmakers to set up plants on their soil, Wang was quoted as saying.

He said countries like the US and Japan have invited Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co to build facilities. However, he warned such a move might weaken Taiwan’s strategic advantage in the semiconductor industry.

“For Taiwan to maintain its ‘silicon shield,’ it needs to persuade European countries and the US that keeping TSMC in Taiwan is the best option,” he wrote.

Wang also cautioned that Taiwan should be aware of China’s efforts to poach talent, given the latter’s goal of becoming 70 percent self-sufficient in chip production by 2025.

“Judging from experience, China’s poaching efforts will only increase,” he wrote.