A bipartisan delegation of nine senior congressional staff members visited the Digital Strategy and Engagement Taskforce (DSET) on April 24 to engage in dialogue on U.S.-Taiwan cooperation in technology policy. During the meeting, DSET called for greater attention from the U.S. Congress to areas such as export control, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) supply chains, and energy security.
The visiting delegation consisted of advisors with extensive experience in national security and congressional affairs. The co-leads of the delegation were Mr. J.C. Lintzenich, National Security Advisor to Senator Thom Tillis, and Ms. Joy Li, National Security Advisor to Senator Elissa Slotkin. Mr. Lintzenich previously served as a senior advisor to the U.S. Director of National Intelligence, while Ms. Li held the position of Director for China Affairs at the Biden Administration’s National Security Council.
In his welcome remarks, DSET Executive Director Dr. Chih-Cheng Chang expressed appreciation for the longstanding support from U.S. congressional offices and reiterated the importance of continued bilateral cooperation. Addressing questions on export control, Dr. Chang emphasized the global shift toward preventing the transfer of advanced semiconductor technologies to authoritarian regimes. He noted that Taiwan, due to its historical international isolation, established its own investment and technology screening mechanisms more than 30 years ago—well before the creation of the U.S. CFIUS framework. He stressed that unilateral controls alone are insufficient to curb technological proliferation and urged the U.S. to more actively include Taiwan in international export control regimes. He also highlighted Taiwan’s ongoing efforts to update its legal frameworks, especially in terms of aligning coordination standards and procedures.
On Taiwan’s energy transition goals, DSET Director for Sustainability and Resilience Ms. Tsae-Ying Lu explained that Taiwan’s recent decision to expand investment in Alaska’s natural gas projects was partly in response to President Trump’s concerns over trade imbalances, and partly to meet Taiwan’s near-term energy transition needs. She noted that Taiwan will continue to require large quantities of natural gas through 2030. Moreover, natural gas imports from the U.S. also serve a strategic security purpose. Ms. Lu referenced past calls from U.S. policymakers and think tanks urging protection of LNG shipments to Taiwan in the event of a PRC-imposed blockade, and called on Congress to strengthen its attention to energy security in such contingency scenarios.
In response to inquiries about lessons learned from the war in Ukraine, particularly regarding drones and satellite communications, DSET noted that Taiwan has been actively developing a national drone initiative since the early days of the conflict. The government aims to reach an annual production capacity of 200,000 drones by 2028, though this still lags behind Ukraine’s 5 million annual capacity. Taiwan’s drone industry continues to face challenges including high unit costs relative to Chinese-made drones, limited access to international markets, and gaps in key domestic technologies. DSET called on the U.S. Congress to support enhanced U.S.-Taiwan cooperation on drones, refrain from imposing tariffs on Taiwanese UAVs and components, and promote federal procurement of Taiwanese drones—positioning Taiwan as a trusted alternative to Chinese UAV suppliers.
The delegation included congressional staff from both the Senate and the House of Representatives:
- Mr. J.C. Lintzenich, National Security Advisor to Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) – Delegation Co-lead
- Ms. Joy Li, National Security Advisor to Senator Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) – Delegation Co-lead
- Ms. Jessica Hart, Deputy National Security Advisor to Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR), Chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee
- Mr. Zack Lewis, Legislative Assistant to Senator Mark Warner (D-VA), Vice Chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee
- Ms. Kathryn Kuhar, Legislative Assistant to Senator Brian Schatz (D-HI)
- Mr. Ahmed Moneib, Legislative Assistant to Representative Haley Stevens (D-MI)
- Dr. Thuc Nhi Nguyen, Legislative Assistant to Senator Tim Scott (R-SC), Chair of the Senate Banking Committee
- Mr. Dylan Vorbach, Senior Advisor to Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense
- Mr. Robert Waisanen, National Security Advisor to Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV)