The Research Institute for Democracy, Society, and Emerging Technology (DSET) was invited to the UK from September 17 to 19 to participate in a three-day international conference at the University of Oxford. Representatives from key countries in the semiconductor supply chain, including the UK, the US, Japan, and the Netherlands, gathered to discuss geopolitical issues regarding emerging technologies. Participants came from a wide range of backgrounds, including think-tank researchers, government representatives, academics, and industry experts. The conference focused on international economic security systems, national industrial policies, and semiconductor industry dynamics. DSET was represented by Chief Executive Officer Dr. Jeremy Chih-Cheng Chang, along with non-resident fellow Min-Yen Chiang and Chih-Yu Tsou.
The Oxford Semiconductor Conference was co-hosted by the Rothermere American Institute and the Oxford China Policy Lab. The organizers aimed to strengthen the shared interests and economic security frameworks of like-minded countries through multilateral Track 1.5 diplomacy.
Dr. Chang shared the emerging challenges Taiwan faces in economic security and the overall response strategies with international partners. In discussions with UK government representatives and industry experts, Dr. Chang exchanged views and used case studies to illustrate the current state of supply chains. He highlighted that enhancing the transparency of Taiwan’s legal framework and raising awareness of threats from China through international dialogue could help partner countries recognize the importance of including Taiwan in multilateral economic security cooperation frameworks.
DSET’s presentation, titled “Taiwan’s Economic Security Challenges in the Era of Techno-Geopolitics,” analyzed the geopolitical shifts that present challenges for Taiwan and outlined three main components to Taiwan’s economic security legal framework. Dr. Chang emphasized measures to protect Taiwan’s critical technologies and shared historical experiences regarding investment reviews related to China.
Dr. Chang pointed out that Taiwan is at a pivotal moment of major changes in its international trade structure. Over the past 20 years, Taiwan’s outbound investment and exports have been concentrated in China. However, as the US and China have decoupled in critical technology supply chains and intensified their technological competition, Taiwan’s exports to the US surpassed those to China for the first time in 2022, and investment in China dropped to around 10%. Dr. Chang emphasized that Taiwan’s regulatory experience is valuable for like-minded countries, especially as Taiwan, along with South Korea and the US, is one of the few countries with an established outbound investment review system and extensive historical experience.
Non-resident fellow Min-Yen Chiang adopted a case study approach to identify China’s patterns of technology theft from Taiwan through open-source analysis. Chiang hopes this research method can inspire like-minded partners and enhance their understanding of the threats China poses to economic security, while aligning democratic countries toward building a multilateral cooperation framework.
The Oxford Semiconductor Conference brought together many representatives from democratic countries and industries, offering Taiwan’s policymakers a valuable opportunity to share its unique experiences in the semiconductor industry and economic security. DSET will continue to advance Track 1.5 diplomacy, establishing an international platform for multilateral dialogue and deepening exchanges and cooperation between Taiwan and its international allies through evidence-based policy research.