This week, Trump nominated Elbridge Colby to serve as Deputy Secretary of Defense, but his distinct "anti-China" stance has garnered widespread attention. He has publicly stated several times in the past that if China attacks Taiwan, the U.S. should cripple or destroy TSMC, saying, "The U.S. would be crazy to let TSMC fall into the hands of aggressive China." (Background: Trump’s presidency is full of uncertainties! The central bank points out three major financial and economic impacts on Taiwan: tariff barriers may cause disaster.) (Additional context: Trump warns China: If you enter Taiwan, impose a 200% tariff; reports say 1,500 coastal factories in Guangdong are relocating to Sichuan.) The newly elected U.S. President Trump, who is set to return to the White House in January next year, announced on Truth Social on Monday (23rd) the nomination of Elbridge Colby as Deputy Secretary of Defense responsible for policy formulation. However, what has drawn unanimous media attention is Colby’s distinct "anti-China hawk" stance. In a tweet earlier this February, he firmly stated, "If China takes over Taiwan, the U.S. should cripple or destroy TSMC's chip factories." "Would America be crazy enough to let the world's leading semiconductor company fall into the hands of aggressive China unscathed? Taiwanese people should realize that this is just the 'smallest' of their problems," Elbridge Colby. Source: U.S. Department of Defense. U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense: If China attacks Taiwan, the U.S. should destroy TSMC. In a tweet last May, he also stated, "Taiwan cannot fall into the hands of the People's Republic of China. The Taiwanese cannot expect TSMC and its core role to continue. The U.S. and its allies cannot afford to let China have such dominance in the global semiconductor field." If Taiwan surrenders, TSMC needs to be included in semiconductor sanctions against China. The U.S. and its allies will need to activate emergency offshoring plans, among other measures. If China attacks Taiwan, neither Taiwan itself nor the U.S. should allow TSMC to fall into China's hands unscathed. He also strongly advocates that the Taiwanese government should support a "scorched earth policy," using its strong semiconductor industry as leverage, threatening that if China attacks Taiwan, it will proactively destroy TSMC's chip factories. He claimed last year, "If Taiwan itself is unwilling to indicate that it will destroy TSMC in the event of a Chinese attack, that is a strong signal to Beijing, showing Taiwan's lack of resolve and unwillingness to let Taiwan's value diminish. This increases the likelihood of China attacking Taiwan, which is unwise for Taiwan." However, many Taiwanese netizens expressed dissatisfaction with Colby’s shocking remarks about "destroying TSMC": "The concept that when being attacked by thugs, the police first seize and destroy your property to prevent it from being taken away," "The world's biggest thug," "Is Taiwan something so cheap? Even if no one comes to save us when we are attacked by the CCP, we will immediately be bombed to ashes by the U.S.; it's a double whammy," "Are we supposed to pay protection money to the U.S. to buy missiles to shoot at TSMC?" "Will TSMC be required to install a self-destruct system?" The U.S. should prioritize Taiwan, not Ukraine. Additionally, it is worth noting that Colby has publicly expressed a series of hawkish remarks in recent years, including: recommending punitive measures against Taiwan to force it to double its current defense budget as a percentage of GDP to 5%, or even 10%. To stop China's military expansion, the Taiwan issue must be prioritized over Ukraine. He emphasized that if a conflict erupts in the Taiwan Strait, the U.S. is currently providing substantial support to Ukraine, which may lead to resources being overly dispersed. America's European allies should take the lead in supporting Ukraine against Russia, while Washington should focus on "the greater challenge from China." The U.S. must increase the shipment of essential weapons to Taiwan. Japan should double its defense budget to at least 3% of GDP so that it can jointly defend Taiwan with the U.S. if China attacks Taiwan. Taiwan itself is not important for the survival of the U.S. The core U.S. interest is to prevent China from becoming a regional hegemon in Asia. Taiwan is very important for achieving this goal, but it is not indispensable. The emphasis is to allow the U.S. to defend Taiwan at a reasonable cost and risk. Colby is a former senior official at the Pentagon, serving as the Assistant Secretary of Defense during Trump’s first term, and led the implementation of the 2018 defense strategy, which resulted in Trump adopting a "super hawkish policy" towards China during his presidency, sparking the U.S.-China trade war. If the U.S. Senate approves Colby's nomination next year, he will play an important leadership role in U.S. policy towards China and the strategic international alliances in East Asia. Whether he will push the Pentagon to implement its hawkish policies during Trump’s second term is closely watched by Asia.