On April 2, Dr. Jeremy Chih-Cheng Chang, CEO of the Center for Democracy, Society and Technology (DSET), led a delegation to the Center for Advanced Defense Studies (C4ADS) in Washington, D.C. for in-depth dialogue with research teams working on state-sponsored threats, human security, and natural resource risk. Topics included Taiwan’s response to maritime gray zone threats, submarine cable protection, LEO satellite communications resilience, and transparency in drone component supply chains.
Discussions centered on two of DSET’s major research efforts: its recently published report The Great Siege, which outlines China’s strategic expansion in mature node semiconductors and their systemic risks to democracies, and its forthcoming study on building a de-Chinaized UAV manufacturing base through a “non-red supply chain.”
“China’s pseudo–IDM model empowers national champions to dominate each segment of the manufacturing ecosystem,” said Dr. Chang. “We advocate for hybrid approaches that combine export controls with market denial to counter Beijing’s price-driven market capture.”
C4ADS expressed strong interest in supporting DSET’s efforts to map critical UAV components such as rare earths, chips, and flight control systems. Both organizations discussed the potential to integrate C4ADS’s trade data and analytical tools with DSET’s policy frameworks to expose critical vulnerabilities in Taiwan’s defense supply chains under potential blockade scenarios.
Mollie Zapata, Director of the Human Security team at C4ADS, remarked: “DSET’s work on supply chain transparency and strategic resilience is highly valuable. We look forward to deepening collaboration by aligning our data and analytic capabilities to support early warning and crisis preparedness for democratic partners.”
The DSET team also briefed C4ADS on Taiwan’s contingency planning for submarine cable cuts, including microwave backup and low-earth orbit satellite usage policies. They noted Taiwan’s current lack of AI-based anomaly detection systems for maritime threats and expressed interest in co-developing automated vessel behavior monitoring platforms.
Further discussion addressed the legal and strategic implications of Chinese monitoring buoys near Taiwan’s maritime infrastructure, and opportunities to support Taiwan’s ocean governance and ISR strategy through collaborative research.
During the discussion, both parties also explored the legal implications and potential risk management strategies concerning China’s deployment of monitoring buoys in the waters surrounding Taiwan. This meeting not only facilitated an exchange of ideas between U.S. and Taiwanese think tanks on issues related to maritime security, unmanned technology, and critical communication infrastructure, but also marked DSET’s return visit to Washington, D.C. following C4ADS’ visit to Taiwan in February this year.