The Research Institute for Democracy, Society and Emerging Technology (DSET) was invited in mid-September to participate in a series of international forums on drones, focusing on China-free industrial development, cross-regional security cooperation, and the construction of democratic supply chains. DSET’s Deputy Director of the National Security Program, Hon-Lun Tiunn, and Policy Analyst, Cathy Fang, delivered insights at events organized by think tanks in Washington, the Taiwan Foreign Correspondents’ Club (TFCC), the Czech Hub in Taiwan, and the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR).
On September 15, the Washington-based Global Taiwan Institute (GTI) hosted the seminar “Taiwan’s China-Free Drone Production: Successes and Continued Challenges,” featuring Hon-Lun Tiunn, Aviation Week Business Editor Matthew Fulco, and US-Taiwan Business Council Vice President Lotta Danielsson. Tiunn noted that while the United States is often assumed to be Taiwan’s primary drone export market, the data tells a different story: in the first half of this year, Poland accounted for 65.7% of Taiwan’s drone and component exports, followed by the U.S. at 33%, with Germany and the Czech Republic behind. He emphasized that the war in Ukraine has created an urgent geopolitical demand, making Europe a faster and more immediate market. Panelists agreed that new U.S.-Taiwan policy momentum is driving bilateral cooperation in the co-production and export of Category I–III drones, opening a new chapter for the industry.
On September 16, the Taiwan Foreign Correspondents’ Club (TFCC) hosted the seminar “Developing Taiwan’s Defence Industrial Supply Chain,” where Cathy Fang joined US-Taiwan Business Council President Rupert J. Hammond-Chambers in discussion. Fang remarked, “Taiwan’s drone development is not only about self-reliant defense, but also about becoming a hub for democratic supply chains. Our mission is to make our modules, motors, and components globally irreplaceable—just as TSMC is for semiconductors—so that we become a long-term, trusted strategic asset for our partners.” Hammond-Chambers cautioned that given Taiwan’s limited defense resources, it must avoid the unsustainable “$1 million missile versus $10,000 drone” dilemma, underscoring the need to develop low-cost, mass-produced solutions.
The following day, Fang traveled to Manila to participate in the international conference “Navigating Asymmetric Warfare: Cross-Regional Strategies for Europe and the Indo-Pacific,” co-hosted by the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) and the Philippine think tank Stratbase Institute. During the panel “Vulnerability and Opportunity: AI, Drones, and Satellite Connectivity,” Fang stressed: “AI, drones, and satellite connectivity are both vulnerabilities and opportunities. Democracies must accelerate collaboration in counter-drone technologies in order to maintain an advantage in gray-zone operations and asymmetric threats.” The forum focused on shared security challenges between Europe and the Indo-Pacific, highlighting drone cooperation as a strategic fulcrum and a new model of cross-regional security collaboration among democratic partners.
On September 19, Fang spoke at the panel discussion “Partnering for Resilience: The Future of the Drone Supply Chain,” co-hosted by the Czech Hub in Taiwan and DSET. Other speakers included Czech Senator Pavel Fischer, Legislator Kuan-Ting Chen, Czech TGS representative Pavel Diviš, and European Values Center for Security Policy (EVC) researcher Marcin Jerzewski. Fang emphasized that “European markets are willing to pay a premium for trustworthy supply chains, and that is Taiwan’s opportunity. The key is establishing stable procurement mechanisms to encourage SMEs to invest and scale up production.” She added that Taiwan’s drone exports are increasingly shifting toward Europe, with three of the top four export markets now located in Europe, demonstrating significant demand potential. Taiwan must seize this momentum to fully integrate into European industrial and governmental supply chains and strengthen its strategic role in democratic supply chains.
Through consecutive participation in U.S., European, and regional forums, DSET not only shared Taiwan’s strategic positioning in drone development and emerging technology security but also deepened cooperation with international partners on building “China-free” supply chains and cross-regional security collaboration. Following the June release of its report “Drones for Democracy: U.S.-Taiwan Cooperation in Building a Resilient and China-Free UAV Supply Chain,” DSET will publish a follow-up study later this year on Taiwan’s drone partnerships with key countries.
