Taiwanese President Xi Jinping meets the US and China during a visit to Central America and the U.S.: France or China?

This week, there was a huge rise in tensions across the Taiwan Strait after China conducted military drills on the island.

On Saturday, Beijing began the drills a day after Taiwan’s President sailed back from her 10-day visit to Central America and the United States.

When asked if the costs of a visit were too high, Wu said China cannot dictate what Taiwan does. And China cannot dictate how our friends want to show support to Taiwan.”

After a civil war broke out in China and Taiwan, both countries were ruled by different peoples.

However, China’s ruling Communist Party claims the self-governing island as its territory, and in recent years, as his power has grown, Chinese leader Xi Jinping has made clear his ambitions to “reunify” with the island – by force if necessary.

Speaking to reporters after his meeting, the Frenchman questioned if France should participate in the Taiwan crisis and if Europe should adapt to the American rhythm or Chinese reaction. French officials said his comments were misinterpreted. Taiwan asked France for clarification, according to CNN quotes from the man.

The US is obligated to provide defensive weaponry to Taiwan but it is not currently known whether the US will defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese attack.

Warren Buffett sells most of his shares in the Taiwan chip giant TSMC, citing geopolitical tensions in an interview with Nikkei

Warren Buffett says geopolitical tensions were “a consideration” in the decision to sell most of Berkshire Hathaway’s shares in global chip giant TSMC, which is based in Taiwan.

The 92-year-old “Oracle of Omaha” shed light on the investment call in a Tuesday interview with Japanese news agency Nikkei. He was quoted as saying that Tsmcc was a well-managed company but that it had better places to deploy its capital.

In February, Berkshire Hathaway

            (BRKA) revealed that it had sold 86% of its shares in TSMC, which were purchased for $4.1 billion just months before.

The quick sale was considered unusual because the billionaire is known for making longer term bets. The size of the purchase suggested that the initial purchase was most likely made personally by Buffett himself, rather than one of his portfolio managers, Reuters reported.

TSMC is considered a national treasure in Taiwan and supplies chips to some of the world’s largest tech companies. It mass produces the most advanced semiconductors in the world, components that are vital to the smooth running of everything from smartphones to washing machines.

The company has been viewed by some as a part of a “Silicon Shield” against a potential military invasion by China, which regards Taiwan as its own territory, despite having never controlled it.