I discuss this in a number of my articles but here is something specific in response to your Pelosi comment.
Sending Pelosi to Taiwan sent a message to China. We will defend Taiwan, whatever the cost. Don’t fuck with us on this unless you want things in China to start blowing up.
Now, if you are unclear about why Taiwan is so important that we are willing to go to war to defend it, then you don’t know much about the global supply chain. Taiwan is a critical choke-point in the global supply chain of computer chips.
The island dominates production of the chips that power almost all advanced civilian and military technologies. In dominating the fabrication of the most advanced semiconductors, the giant Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Ltd (TSMC) has captured a technology that’s crucial to the cutting-edge digital devices and weapons of today and tomorrow.
TSMC accounts for more than 90% of global output of these chips, according to industry estimates.
A war game and study by a think tank ( Center for a New American Security) in January of this year highlighted how dependent the world is on Taiwan’s semiconductor foundries. The study concluded that,
The United States is more dependent on Taiwan’s high-end microchips than it was on Middle Eastern oil in decades past.
If we lose Taiwan, we are crippled as a superpower. If Taiwan gets bombed and the chip foundries get damaged, global production of products containing computer chips will be curtailed for at least 3 years and as much as 10. Those chip foundries are probably the most important manufacturing facilities on the planet.
Now do you understand why Pelosi went to Taiwan?
We sent a 100%, no bullshit, absolutely clear message to China. “Cross this line and this will become a shooting war.”
China considered our message and decided it didn’t want to go there right now. They have backed off and we passed a 52 Billion dollar CHIPS ACT to boost US manufacturing of computer chips from 2% of our needs to 10% of demand over the next 5–10 years.
Why 10% of demand?
Because that’s how much we would need to keep making weapons in the event of a “hot war”. If the supply of chips from Taiwan was compromised. Building up our manufacturing capacity to that minimum level is a strategic necessity.
Until that time, for the next 5–10 years, we have to defend Taiwan like it is the 51st state.
Sending Pelosi to Taiwan was a statement that we are willing to do that.
It's about logistics.
