A senior Chinese economist at a U.S.-China forum proposed that Beijing take over Taiwan and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) if Washington sanctions Beijing as it has Moscow. Chen urged Beijing to openly support Moscow to the best of its ability, citing a recent joint air force drill between the two allies as an example. “China and Russia may be united by matching the Belt and Road Initiative and the broad Eurasia alliance raised by Putin,” said the expert.

“If the United States and the West impose destructive sanctions on China as they treat Russia, we must recover Taiwan,” said China’s economist Chen Wenling on May 30 at a forum hosted by the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies, according to state outlets. “Especially in the reconstruction of industry and supply chains, we must seize TSMC, a firm that inherently belongs to China.”

Chen is the chief economist at the China Center for International Economic Exchanges, a state think tank overseen by China’s top economic planning agency National Development and Reform Commission. Her comments came as TSMC, a global leader in semiconductor production, becomes increasingly important amid the global chip crunch.

“They are speeding up the transfer to the United States to build six factories there,” she added. “We must not let all the goals of the transfer be achieved.”

The Chinese regime sees Taiwan as part of its territory and has threatened war to bring the island into its fold. The self-ruled island is a de-facto independent country, with its own democratically-elected government, military, constitution, diplomacy, and currency.

Meanwhile, Chen urged Beijing to openly support Moscow to the best of its ability, citing a recent joint air force drill between the two allies as an example.

“China and Russia may be united by matching the Belt and Road Initiative and the broad Eurasia alliance raised by Putin,” said the expert. “That will form a strategic depth belt for our country, an economic belt along the Silk Road, and an energy security belt, which will serve [China] as a major buffer for security concerns in the future.”

Taiwan legislator Wang Ting-Yu dismissed her speech as “irresponsible and provocative” in an interview with Radio Free Asia.

“The idea of taking over Taiwan and TSMC by force highlights China’s ignorance, arrogance, and aggressiveness,” Wang said. “Further, it signals they [Chinese authorities] would risk being perceived to be an enemy to the world for [its] economic interests.”

Additionally, Chen said that China could hit its rival hard in a way most unfavorable to the opponent when the reform achievements it has made over the past 40 years are at risk.