A delegation from the Fondation pour la Recherche Stratégique (FRS), an independent French think tank, visited the Research Institute for Democracy, Society, and Emerging Technology (DSET) on June 18 to exchange views on economic security, energy resilience, export controls, and defense supply chains, and to explore opportunities for future Taiwan–France cooperation.
Founded in 1992, FRS is a think tank specializing in geopolitics, military strategy, and national security. The delegation was led by FRS Director Xavier Pasco and included researchers Simon Menet, Annabelle Livet, and Tom Abram. Menet also leads FRS’s “Taiwan Program”, which focuses on cross-Strait security and Taiwan-related foreign policy issues.
During the meeting, the delegation expressed interest in how Taiwan aligns its export control regime with international standards and safeguards critical technologies from being transferred to China. DSET CEO Jeremy Chih-Cheng Chang noted that although Taiwan is excluded from some international export control mechanisms, it has proactively aligned its regulatory framework with international standards through domestic legislation and institutional reforms. This includes voluntarily complying with U.S. export control measures and amending the National Security Act in 2022 to extend legal protection to Taiwan’s National Core Technologies.
Chang further explained that Taiwan has established a unique unilateral control framework under the Act Governing Relations between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area to regulate cross-Strait technology exchanges. In addition, Taiwan has maintained an outbound investment review mechanism for more than three decades, prioritizing oversight of sensitive technologies, particularly those involving manufacturing industries and potential technology transfers to China.
The two sides also exchanged views on emerging challenges facing the global artificial intelligence (AI) supply chain. Chang noted that Taiwan manufactures virtually all of the world’s advanced semiconductor chips and accounts for approximately 80 percent of global AI server assembly and manufacturing, making it a critical hub in the AI supply chain. However, he pointed out that some AI servers have recently been re-exported through third countries, such as Malaysia, before ultimately reaching China, highlighting the growing challenges of end-use monitoring and export control enforcement across increasingly complex global supply chains.
The delegation also expressed interest in Taiwan’s development of drone and battery supply chains. As battery production remains costly in Europe, France’s defense industry is actively seeking to diversify its supply chains and identify reliable partners that can reduce dependence on China. DSET shared that it is currently conducting research on drone batteries and related supply chains, with forthcoming research findings expected to provide a foundation for future Taiwan–France cooperation in defense supply chain resilience.
Energy security was another key topic of discussion. Drawing on lessons from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, both sides explored how renewable energy can strengthen wartime resilience and discussed the importance of protecting critical infrastructure. DSET also shared its ongoing research on attacks against Ukraine’s electricity grid, substations, and other critical energy infrastructure, examining strategies for enhancing resilience as a reference for strengthening Taiwan’s own energy security.
DSET stated that this exchange helps deepen the foundation for cooperation between Taiwan and France on issues such as economic security, technological defense, and supply chain resilience. Moving forward, both sides will continue to deepen collaboration through policy research, data analysis, and knowledge exchange to help democratic partners identify risks in critical industries and enhance collective resilience against geopolitical challenges.
