TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — While major US tech companies have expanded their presence in Taiwan, their deep business ties with China may limit their willingness to support Taipei in the event of a conflict, national security analyst Sam Bresnick warned in an op-ed published by Nikkei Asia on Monday.
Citing a new report by Georgetown University’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology (CSET), Bresnick wrote that Google, Microsoft, Amazon, and Apple have all made significant investments in Taiwan —establishing data centers, R&D hubs, and expanding supplier relationships. Google operates a major data center in Changhua and a hardware lab in New Taipei, while Apple works with nearly 50 local suppliers.
However, these investments represent only a small portion of their global operations. Google’s footprint in Taiwan accounts for just 1% of its total foreign investment, Bresnick noted, while Microsoft and Amazon maintain similarly modest local presences.
That imbalance raises concerns, he argued. Would US tech companies risk angering Beijing to support Taiwan, as they did Ukraine? Or would their exposure to China — where they make money, source components, and run infrastructure — tip the scales toward inaction?
Bresnick drew a stark contrast with the war in Ukraine. When Russia invaded, US firms had little to lose in the Russian market, and political support for Kyiv was overwhelming. Additionally, supporting Ukraine carried clear reputational benefits.
Taiwan, by contrast, exists in a space of diplomatic ambiguity, and US companies have far more at stake across the Strait. Personal views of executives may also complicate the picture. Bresnick cited reports that Elon Musk discussed cutting Starlink access to Taiwan at Russia’s request, allegedly on China’s behalf.
“The truth is that Big Tech’s Taiwan bets are still small, especially compared to their exposure to China,” Bresnick wrote. He urged both Taiwan and the US not to assume Silicon Valley will come to Taipei’s aid and called for stronger public-private collaboration to ensure national security is not left to corporate discretion.
