'Order' to halt sales of chips raises tensions

The United States is escalating tensions in the Taiwan Strait, a Chinese mainland spokeswoman said on Wednesday following reports that the US had "ordered "Taiwan to cease sales of advanced chips to the mainland.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co reportedly followed instructions from the US Department of Commerce, who told the company to halt shipments of advanced chips used in artificial intelligence accelerators and graphics processing units to customers on the mainland.

The move came after US President-elect Donald Trump, in an interview, accused Taiwan of stealing the US chip industry and said he'd put a tariff on Taiwan's chips.

Zhu Fenglian, spokeswoman for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, said that the recent reports once again demonstrate that the US' intention is to use Taiwan to contain the mainland.

She criticized the Democratic Progressive Party authorities for increasingly creating obstacles to cross-Strait industrial cooperation, ultimately harming the interests of businesses on the island and weakening Taiwan's industrial advantages, causing Taiwan to miss out on further opportunities for development.

Zhu condemned the island authorities, who warned Taiwan businesses on the mainland to plan well, as doing business will become more challenging if more tariffs are imposed under the incoming Trump administration.

Noting that the trade volume between Taiwan and the Chinese mainland reached $212.44 billion from January to September, a 9 percent year-on-year increase, Zhu said that pushing for the economic decoupling between the two sides would defy market principles and harm the well-being of compatriots.

Trump said in an interview during his election campaign that Taiwan should pay the US for its "defense", as it does not give his country anything. Recent media reports said that Taiwan is considering a massive $15 billion military package to show the incoming Trump administration that it is serious about strengthening its own "defense".

"The US always prioritizes its own interests," Zhu said, adding that "Paying 'protection money' cannot buy security. The deeper the reliance on the US, the greater the harm to Taiwan, which will only bring profound disaster to the Taiwan people."

Taiwan's Labor Party said in a statement that Taiwan is not the US' "cash machine", and the fate of Taiwan should be in the hands of the Chinese people on both sides of the Strait. Being a "pawn "in the US' competition with the mainland will not change the legal and historical fact that both sides belong to one China. Rather, it will only further highlight Taiwan's development dilemma as a tool and may even turn it into a high-risk area, it said.