Global Taiwan Insights

Taiwan’s Home-Grown Drone Industry (feat.Lotta Danielsson)

In Season 7, Episode 2 of Global Taiwan Insights, Ben Sando and Eliza Cormier interview Lotta Danielsson, Executive Vice President of the US-Taiwan Business Council. Lotta shares how Taipei has stimulated investment in air- and sea-based drones that can prepare the island against a PRC attack. As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues, Taiwanese drones have been delivered to Ukrainian soldiers on the front lines, challenging Taiwanese manufacturers to improve their technology.

Taiwan’s Own Political Warfare System (with Mariah Thornton)

In Season 7, Episode 1 of Global Taiwan Insights, Ben Sando interviews Mariah Thornton, teaching fellow at the London School of Economics, on her groundbreaking research into Taiwan’s own political warfare system. Taiwan’s Political Warfare Bureau, embedded within the Republic of China military, has existed since the Kuomintang ruled China in the early 20th century. Even after the Kuomintang lost the Chinese Civil War and Taiwan democratized in the 1980s, this political warfare system has continued to operate within Taiwan’s military and society. But as Chinese influence operations surge on the island, this system has renewed purpose.

China and Russia Collaborate on Undersea Cable Sabotage? (With Andrew Yeh)

In Season 6, Episode 5 of Global Taiwan Insights, Ben Sando interviews Andrew Yeh, Executive Director of the China Strategic Risks Institute, on suspected Chinese and Russian collaboration on undersea cable sabotage. In recent years, critical undersea cables have been severed in global hotspots such as the Baltic Sea and the Taiwan Strait. Yeh takes us through cases of potential Beijing-Moscow collaboration and explains why international law isn’t ready to ward off these attacks.

How will South Korea’s President Lee Jae-myung Approach Taiwan? (with Eun A Jo)

In Season 6, Episode 5 of Global Taiwan Insights, Ben Sando interviews Dr. Eun A Jo, an Assistant Professor at William and Mary and expert on South Korean politics. In June this year, the Democratic Party of Korea’s Lee Jae Myung was elected president, triggering speculation that South Korea would discontinue its policy of clear alignment with the United States. Before Lee took office, Seoul had been working with Tokyo and Washington on military and economic collaboration intended to deter both China and North Korea. As a non-traditional politician, Lee’s policies towards Taiwan are not easy to predict, and Jo explains how we can interpret his early political decisions.

The PRC ID Card Controversy in Taiwan (with Sze-Fung Lee)

In Season 6, Episode 4 of Global Taiwan Insights, Ben Sando interviews Sze-Fung Lee, an independent researcher specializing in hybrid warfare. In December 2024, the Taiwanese YouTuber "Ba Jiong" (八炯) made the explosive claim that some 200,000 Taiwanese citizens possess People’s Republic of China (PRC) ID cards – an activity that is illegal under Taiwanese law. The report sparked an uproar in Taiwan, and led to an investigation by Taiwan’s National Immigration Agency. Lee explains the PRC hybrid warfare tactics behind issuing ID cards to Taiwanese citizens, why cracking down on this activity has proven so controversial, and how this issue connects to broader efforts by Taiwan's government to push back against PRC subversion.