In September, the Research Institute for Democracy, Society, and Emerging Technology (DSET) conducted visits to the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) and the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) in London, United Kingdom. The delegation, led by Dr. Jeremy Chih-Cheng Chang, DSET Chief Executive Officer, and comprised of Dr. Tsaiying Lu, the Director of Energy Resilience Program, and Ting-Wei Lin, the Non-Resident Fellow of the National Security Program, engaged in in-depth exchanges on Taiwan’s security challenges, energy resilience, and prospects for international cooperation.
At RUSI, discussions focused on maritime energy security, submarine infrastructure protection, the de-risking of drone supply chains, and avenues for joint research. Dr. Jeremy Chang presented Undercurrent: Limits and Prospects of Submarine Cable Security for Taiwan, DSET’s recent policy report on submarine cable security. Given that the United Kingdom’s economy is highly dependent on undersea telecommunications cables, RUSI expressed strong interest in Taiwan’s experience in managing sabotage threats and addressing supply chain vulnerabilities. Dr. Tsaiying Lu outlined her team’s research on risk assessments undertaken by insurers regarding Taiwan’s maritime trade and fuel imports, highlighting the importance of flexible and diversified shipping mechanisms. She further shared that DSET is developing policy recommendations to mitigate such vulnerabilities. RUSI emphasized the relevance of these efforts, noting that coordinated convoy operations with allies could enhance deterrence and resilience.
At IISS, the delegation engaged experts on semiconductor policy, energy and communications resilience, and Taiwan–Europe cooperation in drone supply chains. Dr. Jeremy Chang presented DSET’s research on semiconductor supply chains and Taiwan’s rapidly expanding drone industry. Given the global economy’s reliance on Chinese manufacturing, IISS underscored the significance of Taiwan’s approaches to reducing supply chain vulnerabilities. Both institutes identified opportunities to pursue joint research and policy development on energy security and defense.
The visits underscored the importance of sustained knowledge exchange between Taiwan and the United Kingdom. By combining Taiwan’s frontline experience with the expertise of leading UK think tanks, DSET aims to contribute innovative and practical solutions to strengthen resilience against coercion and disruption, and will continue to explore opportunities for future collaboration and develop practical policy solutions with the two organizations.
