US Envoy Urges Taiwan to Invest in Unmanned Systems, Resilience

Taiwan should continue investing in military deterrence and societal resilience, especially in emerging technologies such as unmanned systems, U.S. Representative to Taiwan Daniel Kritenbrink said.

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Taiwan's passage of a special defense budget is an important first step in strengthening Taiwan's defense capabilities; we look forward to Taiwan continuing to invest in military deterrence and societal resilience, especially in emerging technology fields such as unmanned systems.

Kritenbrink's remarks came during the "Strategic Summit on Supply Chain Resilience" hosted by the DSET in Taipei. He noted that Taiwan's passage of a special defense budget was a crucial first step in strengthening its defense capabilities. The forum, which focused on semiconductors, artificial intelligence, energy security, and drone supply chains, brought together nearly 600 participants from Taiwan, the U.S., Japan, and Ukraine.

Taiwan's National Security Council advisor, Li Yu-chieh, stated that the DSET forum has become an important platform for technological and geopolitical cooperation between Taiwan and its democratic allies. He highlighted that the topics discussed, including AI, semiconductors, "non-red" drone supply chains, and energy resilience, are core issues of concern for the Taiwanese government.

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The DSET annual forum has entered its third year and has become an important platform for technological and geopolitical cooperation between Taiwan and its democratic allies.

National Science and Technology Council Deputy Minister Lin Fa-cheng emphasized that the world is entering a new technological revolution driven by AI, semiconductors, and autonomous unmanned vehicles. He stressed that future technological competition is not just between individual companies or nations but between "ecosystems" and "international cooperation." Taiwan's advantages in its world-class semiconductor industry, complete supply chain, and democratic system position it well for collaboration with friendly nations.

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The future of technological competition is not just the competition of a single enterprise or a single country, but the competition of 'ecosystems' and 'international cooperation'.

Kritenbrink also pointed out that Taiwan has become the U.S.'s fourth-largest trading partner. He underscored the growing importance of supply chain security and the deepening U.S.-Taiwan cooperation in emerging technologies. The U.S. aims to maintain its leadership in AI through innovation and infrastructure development, with Taiwan playing a central role in semiconductors, energy, data infrastructure, and advanced manufacturing. He also reiterated the U.S. opposition to any actions that alter the status quo, supporting Taiwan's defense budget as a vital step and encouraging continued investment in deterrence and resilience, particularly in unmanned systems.

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The U.S. opposes any actions that alter the status quo. Taiwan's legislature's passage of a special defense budget is an important first step in strengthening Taiwan's defense capabilities; we look forward to Taiwan continuing to invest in military deterrence and societal resilience, especially in emerging technology fields such as unmanned systems.