The Voices Shaping Taiwan's Future
Launching our newest podcast, "Strait Forward"!
Hello, I’m Ylli Bajraktari, President of the Special Competitive Studies Project. We recently published a newsletter reflecting on our trip to Taiwan. Our visit was impactful due to the tremendous connections our team has built with partners on the island. In this edition, we highlight some of the people who have helped shape our work or are shaping the stories about Taiwan that you are reading.
We’re also announcing the launch of our new podcast, “Strait Forward,” hosted by SCSP’s Channing Lee and Libby Lange, that takes you beyond the headlines on all things Taiwan! “Strait Forward” is now available on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts.
Taiwan's significance is undeniable. Its strategic position in the region, coupled with its role as a key player in technological innovation, makes it a critical consideration for global stability and economic prosperity. But for our podcast hosts, it’s also deeply personal, because Taiwan stands as a testament to how a young democracy can flourish against the odds. In her work to strengthen U.S. national security, Channing draws inspiration from the stories of her parents and grandparents who immigrated to the United States from Taiwan. Meanwhile, Libby arrived in Washington after living and working in Taiwan for six years, ready to elevate the voices behind Taiwan’s dynamism and resilience.
SCSP collaborates with a global network of partners to conduct research and analysis on the challenges posed by the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the United States, its allies, and partners, particularly concerning technological advancements. There are few better in analyzing these issues than the experts in Taiwan. Our team had the chance to catch up with many of them during our latest visit at the end of February. Our conversations with them provided deep insights into the complex threat landscape Taiwan faces, but also the many ways they are working to adapt to it.
Below, meet a few of these friends of SCSP impacting change and the news on Taiwan.
Jeremy Chang, CEO of Taiwan’s Research Institute for Democracy, Society, and Emerging Technology (DSET)
DSET has been close partners with SCSP and is one of Taiwan’s leading institutions analyzing its national security innovation ecosystem. Founded just under two years ago in October 2023, DSET has now grown to include experts and partners around the globe. The research organization is positioned under Taiwan’s National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) but operates as an independent think tank. DSET’s work has been cited by top outlets around the world, and their researchers continue to provide top insights into the critical technology and national security issues surrounding Taiwan. Last October, SCSP and DSET signed an MoU to solidify our partnership, and we have since collaborated on research, events, and a variety of other programs.
Chiayo Kuo, President of Taiwan Digital Diplomacy Association
Chiayo is the founder of the Taiwan Digital Diplomacy Association (TDDA), a non-profit organization that seeks to promote social networking advocacy and international exchange between Taiwan and its diplomatic partners, using the internet to gain further international exposure for Taiwan. Chiayo is also a member of Taiwan’s Whole-of-Society Defense Resilience Committee, focusing on communications and cybersecurity. We were delighted Chiayo could brief our International Strategy Forum fellows on "Taiwan 101" to help them understand Taiwan’s history and place in the geopolitical world.
Fei-Fan Lin, Deputy Secretary General of Taiwan’s National Security Council
Fei-Fan Lin has been a rising leader in Taiwan for over a decade, transitioning from student leader to political leader. He now serves in a senior role at the National Security Council and has been a key interlocutor for Taiwan’s partners around the world. We were extremely grateful he could take time to speak to our fellows about the PRC threat that Taiwan deals with on an everyday basis, and to offer lessons on leadership for those interested in serving their nations. We also hope to have Fei-Fan join an SCSP event in our Crystal City office soon, so stay tuned!
Lilly Lee, Doctoral Fellow in International Security Studies, The Fletcher School
Lilly is currently a doctoral fellow in international security studies at The Fletcher School of Tufts University, where she is studying the PRC’s national security strategies under Xi Jinping’s leadership. Lilly was one of SCSP’s earliest believers and partners, helping connect us to her network of Taiwan analysts to deepen our understanding of the PRC’s activities in the tech competition. SCSP also had the privilege of having Lilly work with our Future Technology Platforms Team, amidst her studies, as a research analyst, where she co-authored a piece with SCSP’s Libby Lange on the PRC’s efforts to influence Taiwan’s younger generations and contributed to SCSP’s 2025 Gaps Analysis Report.
Dr. Yuh-jye Lee, Senior Advisor at Taiwan’s National Security Council
Dr. Lee is one of Taiwan’s leading AI researchers, who joined SCSP’s 2024 AI Expo for National Competitiveness to demo Taiwan’s indigenous large language model TAIDE (Trustworthy AI Dialogue Engine) for the first time in the United States. He now serves as the Taiwan NSC’s lead on cyber and technology issues, coordinating the integration of emerging technologies into Taiwan’s strategic planning.
Audrey Tang, Taiwan’s Cyber Ambassador and former Digital Minister
Audrey Tang has been a renowned leader in the digital democracy space, and also served as Taiwan’s first Digital Minister. Audrey is a great friend of SCSP’s, having spoken at the 2023 Global Emerging Technology Summit and 2024 AI Expo. Audrey now serves Taiwan as Cyber Ambassador, sharing Taiwan’s technological prowess with partners around the world.
Ethan Tu, Founder, Taiwan AI Labs
Ethan Tu founded Taiwan AI Labs in 2017 as the first open AI research institute in Asia, and he is also the co-founder of PTT, a popular open-source forum in Taiwan. He built an AI system to identify and track PRC information manipulation in Taiwan, helping to provide early warnings about harmful narratives. Ethan is one of the leading experts in the world on tracking and countering disinformation, and his work on this front has been critical to help SCSP understand how our adversaries may be learning from each other and working together to undermine democratic information environments.
Chieh-Ting Yeh, Director of US Taiwan Watch
Chieh-Ting Yeh is a venture capitalist in California who also leads civil society initiatives to strengthen the US-Taiwan relationship. We were honored to host him for a “Chipping In” event at the SCSP office last Wednesday, where he shared with our guests how views of US-Taiwan relations have changed over time in both Taiwan and the United States. US Taiwan Watch is a non-profit think tank and media creator dedicated to making the relationship between the United States and Taiwan more resilient, more productive, and more purposeful through civil society and civil engagement. Since 2017, they have been building a community for a new generation of thinkers and doers to tell the story of why the United States matters for Taiwan, and why Taiwan matters for the United States. USTW runs a popular Mandarin-language podcast called “美國台灣觀測站.”
Introducing Strait Forward: A New SCSP Podcast
These leaders — and many more — are charting the path for Taiwan’s future. In order to bring these voices into the conversation in Washington and go beyond the headlines on tech and geopolitics, SCSP is launching a new Taiwan-focused podcast series: “Strait Forward.”
Hosted by SCSP’s Channing Lee and Libby Lange and filmed in the SCSP studio, the podcast will feature some of the people discussed in this newsletter, as well as others in Taiwan and around the world. The next episode will come out next Monday, March 24, and future episodes will be released every other Monday.
In the first episode, Channing and Libby speak with TECRO Representative Ambassador Alexander Yui about why Taiwan matters. The first episode of Strait Forward is now available on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts.