TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Restrictions on semiconductor deliveries to China will only make the country develop its own technology, a former Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) executive told a forum at Harvard University Monday (Sept. 11).

Lin Burn-jeng (林本堅), a former vice president of research and development at the chip giant, warned the whole world would pay the price for a “semiconductor war,” per CNA. He said that U.S. export restrictions would only benefit China, as it would speed up the domestic development of its semiconductor technology.

While Chinese technology is still behind Taiwan, the size of orders could help semiconductor makers in China improve the quality, said Lin, who serves as dean of the College of Semiconductor Research at National Tsing Hua University. He quoted the example of the new Huawei Mate 60 Pro smartphone, even though critics doubted China’s knowhow could still achieve new breakthroughs.

He compared current U.S. efforts to the Vietnam War, because wars might have the right aim, but they sometimes ended with an unwanted outcome. Lin said he advocated “semiconductor peace,” as 98% of computer chips were now used in consumer products, and not by governments and military.