A Chinese Invasion of Taiwan Would Cause Global Economic Disruption 'Within Hours'

"Taiwan matters for the entire global economy, and because it matters for the global economy it matters for Kentucky's economy." That's how Rep. Andy Barr (R-KY) — co-chair of the Congressional Taiwan Caucus — explained his concern for the future of the Republic of China in an interview with Townhall following a day of meetings in Taipei. 

Businesses and workers in his district encircling Lexington rely on Taiwan, Barr said, including at the world's largest Toyota manufacturing facility. The Georgetown, Kentucky, plant can crank out more than 500,000 vehicles per year and employs just shy of 10,000 full-time workers. 

"If you think about the way automobiles are manufactured right now, they require a lot of electronics," Barr emphasized to Townhall of the ubiquity of semiconductors. "Ninety percent of the world's advanced semiconductors are manufactured here in Taiwan," he said the industry that's become another deterring factor against a Chinese invasion, the "silicon shield."