Not sure how the Reuters source article justifies the headline “breakthrough
The source is Reuters who say: “Taiwan tells EU it will continue to be 'trusted' chip partner”
I do wonder if this a communication difference between the way the Taiwanese meant it, the English would read it, and a European reads it. Because to me, that reads very similar to “The manager continues to have the full support of the board”. Why would the EU *not* be a trusted partner? Partner in what? Taiwan certainly aren’t promising *more* than EU has got today, and the implication is that *less* is certainly at least a possibility.
Also “ Taiwan has "tried its best" to help the EU and other partners resolve a global shortage of chips.”. This to me sounds like an explosion of immense frustration. They tried their best to help you, and everything is still all messed up….so the implication is that the EU is not helping itself.
And finally the breakthrough isn’t some future deal, but rather “[Taiwan] noted that previous Taiwan-EU meetings were at the deputy level, and this one had been raised to ministerial level, calling it a major breakthrough in Taiwan-EU relations.”. Which again I would hear as a note of intense frustration that the EU had previously not been prepared to allocate even the bare minimum of politeness in relations, and a hope that maybe this minister will do better than the previous rudeness and unhelpfulness.
Take a step back, and look at the situation as it must appear to the Taiwanese. European industry has been on its knees for nearly a year due to semiconductor supply chain. And it couldn’t even find more than *deputy* to take Taiwan’s call until yesterday? What complete insanity is this? It’s the 21st century. The *day* that supply chain started being problematic, the minister should have been on Zoom to their opposite number in Taiwan to see how they could work together on this. Did the minister have anything more important to do….for a *year*? WTAF.
And then we have mini-bombshells like “ They also discussed improving market access for EU agricultural products and the investment environment for EU business in offshore wind power.” Which translates as: the EU have been using tariffs to prevent Taiwanese chips being imported to Europe, and as a quid pro quo for reducing them want the Taiwanese to buy more EU agricultural products & wind turbines. WTAF. Are companies like Volkswagen aware that the main reason they might not even *have* a business in five years, because they can’t actually make any cars they are trying to sell without those chips, is that the EU have been busy playing pissing up the wall games with Taiwan? Well, they are now….OMFG has the shit hit the fan.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
