Rubio Demands Halt of Semiconductor Production in China

Florida Republicans continue to lead the charge against China the Biden Administration is not. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) recently teamed up with Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) to demand Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo block plans to indefinitely extend waivers allowing Taiwanese and Korean semiconductor manufacturers to remain in China.

Sen. Rubio's letter called the proposal "further evidence that the Biden Administration’s talk of “competing” with the CCP is weakness masquerading as strength."

The Wall Street Journal described how Samsung and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (TSM) were exempted from restrictions placed by the U.S. on production in October and were supposed to expire this year.

On the other hand, Sen. Rubio insinuated the exemption was "spin," allowing the two companies to operate "freely" with the Chinese government. Should the waivers receive an indefinite extension, he warned they will "deliver sensitive technology to Beijing on a silver platter."

Moreover, he called the exemption and possible extension therein for Samsung and TSM "a slap in the face to those American, Dutch, and Japanese firms that have agreed to comply with the export controls."

Finally, Rubio echoed what other Florida Republicans have said about the Biden Administration's weakness against the Chinese, saying the maneuver "fits with the overall trend of the Biden Administration’s broken export-control regime and weakness toward Beijing."

Last year, the Biden Administration signed into law the Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors for America (CHIPS) Act, which allowed semiconductor manufacturers to operate in China. Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) slammed the bill in an op-ed for the Wall Street Journal, calling it a "reckless spending spree" and demanded his colleagues "consider the consequences of the bill’s weakness on China."

Since then, concerns of China surpassing or sabotaging the United States technologically have grown. Rubio has paid close attention to the popular social media app TikTok, which he has repeatedly warned could serve as a vehicle for Chinese espionage. Most recently, Rubio demanded TikTok CEO Shou Chew be investigated for apparent perjury after evidence suggested TikTok servers were in China despite Chew's claims they were in Singapore and Virginia.