The ultraviolet chip lithography technology can be shifted, either new equipment would need to be purchased or the existing equipment moved. If the existing equipment is not moved it must be destroyed so that China does not get it.

Of course, new plants will take decades to get going as you say. I am not talking about this being something that can be done quickly. Just the shift in policy would take years before being realized and then a decade before it actually hits ultraviolet chip lithography technology supply chains. Probably best implemented with the rollout of the next generation of chip fabrication tech. The current ultraviolet chip lithography technology will probably be obsolete in a decade or so. At that point it might be safe to let China have that technology and we just need to make sure we don't sell the next generation technology to someplace that we might have to go to war to protect.

There is no "unique characteristics of highly skilled, low cost workforce that make Taiwan plausible" Such workforces exist in South Korea, India and could be nurtured in Vietnam or Indonesia. Low-cost work forces are not even a driver if the tech is to be protected. Only let safe and trusted countries have the Tech and let the price of chips rise. The U.S. and Europe have the power to choose who gets the tech to make the chips. The Taiwanese wisely acquired the tech before anyone realized the implication of exporting the tech to an island claimed by a country, we want to prevent accessing the tech. Now we have to defend Tiawan from China (or deter China) to prevent the tech from falling into Chinese hands.

TEK