Chips Over Justice: The Global Dilemma of Taiwan and Xinjiang
How Semiconductor Power Shapes Geopolitics and Marginalizes Human Rights
Taiwan’s semiconductor industry is an indispensable part of the global technological infrastructure. This is not merely an economic matter but one of strategic control over the technologies that power the digital world. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) produces 92% of the world’s most advanced semiconductors, including chips crucial for developing everything from artificial intelligence to advanced weaponry. For both the U.S. and China, these chips are not just important—they are vital for military and economic dominance.
If Taiwan’s semiconductor production were disrupted, it would trigger a global technological crisis. This reality has granted Taiwan a special place in international geopolitics, where “defending democracy” often serves as a euphemism for protecting economic interests.
"The global chip shortage caused by supply disruptions amid the COVID-19 pandemic is giving a foretaste of the havoc a Taiwan conflict would wreak." (Reuters, 2023)
Meanwhile, on the other side of China, the plight of the Uyghurs in Xinjiang highlights how economic interests consistently outweigh human rights. The Uyghurs face systematic oppression: their mosques are being destroyed, they are forced into internment camps, and their culture and religion are being suppressed. Despite widespread global awareness of these atrocities, the international response has been muted. China is an economic superpower and the world’s largest consumer of semiconductors—most of which come from Taiwan.
This creates a brutal dynamic where human rights take a back seat to strategic and economic interests. The Uyghurs do not produce chips; thus, their fight for justice garners less political support from global powers.
"China accounts for 60% of world semiconductor demand, and more than 90% of semiconductors used in China are imported or manufactured locally by foreign suppliers." (Reuters, 2023)
Moral principles no longer drive modern geopolitics—they are driven by profit and strategic gains. Taiwan is protected not because it is a democracy but because it holds the key to the world’s technological future. On the other hand, the Uyghurs lack this strategic value and, therefore, receive little support from the world’s major powers.
Islam continually reminds us of the importance of justice, regardless of the stakes:
"Believers! Be steadfast in upholding justice, bearing witness to the truth, even if it is against yourselves or your closest kin" (Sura 4:135, Qur'an).
This message starkly contrasts today’s world, where justice is often sacrificed for economic gain.
Despite all the rhetoric about human rights and morality, the truth is clear: global leaders prioritize their economic interests. When they defend Taiwan, they are safeguarding not the freedom of its people but the semiconductors.