Lai: China’s Pressure Grows — and Taiwan Backs US Plans to Make More Chips

President Lai Ching-te warned that China is accelerating both its military intimidation and united-front influence operations against Taiwan. In a recorded DealBook Summit interview, Lai said Chinese drills are “increasingly frequent and intense,” and noted Beijing’s broader campaign to pressure the island as Xi Jinping pursues reunification, with U.S. officials reporting plans for military readiness by 2027.

Lai announced a US$40 billion defense special budget to strengthen deterrence and answered calls — including from President Trump — to raise Taiwan’s defense spending toward 5% of GDP by 2030 (current level ~2.45%). He stressed Taiwan’s ties with the United States remain “rock solid” despite diplomatic pressure and clarified that cooperation has expanded since Trump took office.

On semiconductors, Lai welcomed Washington’s goal for the U.S. to produce 40–50% of global semiconductors, saying Taiwan supports investments that strengthen economic cooperation. He emphasized Taiwan’s chip sector is part of a global ecosystem — relying on U.S. R&D, Japanese materials, and Dutch lithography — and argued Taiwan’s specialization in logic chips preserves its strategic value even as onshoring efforts proceed.

Asked about AI and export controls, Lai declined to comment on U.S. domestic policy for chip sales to China but recalled Taiwan’s past consensus against moving advanced chipmaking to China. He said AI promises major benefits but requires international coordination and governance to ensure sustainable development and a “soft landing” for the industry.

Reference Sources

1. NYT - Taiwan’s President Warns That China’s Military Aggression Is Growing
2. RTI - President Lai urges China to prioritize people’s livelihoods over territorial expansion
3. FocusTaiwan - Military preparedness 'best way to avoid war': President Lai
4. Taiwan News - Lai appears via video at New York Times Dealbook Summit

Trump met with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang on export controls, source says

A bipartisan group of us senators, including Republican China Hawk Tom Cotton, has unveiled a bill called the Safe Chips Act that would block the Trump administration from loosening rules that restrict Beijing's access to artificial intelligence chips for 2.5 years.

The bill would require the Commerce Department, which oversees export controls, to deny any license requests for buyers in China, Russia, Iran, or North Korea to receive U.S. AI chips more advanced than the ones they are currently allowed to obtain for 30 months.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang met separately with President Donald Trump and Republican senators on Wednesday as tech executives work to secure favorable Federal policies for the artificial intelligence industry, including the limited sale of Nvidia’s highly valued computer chips to us rivals like China.

Huang is among the Silicon Valley executives who warn that any restrictions on the technology will halt its advancement despite mounting concerns among policymakers and the public about AI’s potential pitfalls or the ways foreign rivals like China may use American hardware.

The us has "conceded, essentially, the second-largest AI market" by curbing the export of Nvidia chips to China, which will leave room for Homegrown Technologies such as those developed by Huawei to mature and eventually compete with American companies at the global level.

Nvidia did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Reference Sources

1. yahooen - Senators unveil bill to keep Trump from easing curbs on AI chip sales to China
2. latimes - Why is Nvidia’s CEO lobbying Republicans on AI chip sales to China?
3. thestarmy - Trump praises Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang after discussion about export controls
4. thestarmy - Trump met with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang on export controls, source says
5. nikkei - Nvidia's Jensen Huang warns of China's AI 'belt and road' ambitions

Over 1.1 million layoffs planned in US this year – highest level since 2020 pandemic

Consulting firm Challenger, Gray and Christmas has reported that US employers have announced more than 1.1 million job cuts so far this year, the highest level seen since 2020, when companies laid off 2.2 million workers during the pandemic. 

Layoff plans totaled 71,321 jobs in November, a slight downgrade from the massive cuts announced in October, but still enough to bring the year-to-date total to 1.17 million, up 54% from the same period last year. Employers blamed corporate restructuring acts, artificial intelligence, and us President Donald Trump's tariffs for largely driving down job rolls.

Tech companies, driven by innovations in AI, listed 12,377 reductions, pushing the sector's 2025 total up 17% from a year ago.

It's only the sixth year since 1993 that announced job cuts through November have surpassed 1.1 million.

Reference Sources

1. upi - Challenger: 2025 layoffs hit 1M highest since pandemic
2. newyorkpost - Over 1.1 million layoffs planned this year – highest level since 2020 pandemic | New York Post
3. cbs - Employers have cut 1.1 million jobs this year. Here's what's behind the wave of layoffs..
4. cnbc - Layoff announcements this year top 1.1 million, the most since 2020 when pandemic hit, Challenger says
5. nbc - Layoff announcements just hit the highest level since the pandemic

The CommonWealth English daily news digest is a service curated by CommonWealth English team with the help of AI tools.  

Have you read?

• US Private Employers Shed Jobs in November as Small Businesses Hit Pause
• TEL Taiwan Unit Indicted, Faces US$3.8M Fine in TSMC Secrets Leak
• Merck Opens €500M AI Chip Materials Plant in Taiwan

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