"Disabling or destroying TSMC is table stakes if China is taking over Taiwan," former senior Pentagon official Elbridge Colby said in February.

The next U.S. Undersecretary of Defense for Policy is very likely to be Elbridge Colby, who is well known to favor the destruction of Taiwan’s chip fabs in the event of a Chinese invasion.

President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for Undersecretary of Defense for Policy has repeatedly pushed the idea of destroying TSMC's chip fabs in Taiwan if China invades.

Colby said the Biden administration should treat Taiwan's defense with greater urgency and focus on bolstering the US' defensive perimeter in Asia. He suggested US European allies take the lead in helping Ukraine, as Europe must strengthen its defenses against Russia while Washington fixates on the “much bigger challenge from China.”

Elbridge Colby said in an interview earlier this year that Japan is moving at a leisurely pace on defense despite being under threat from China and North Korea.