On September 15, 2025, Council Executive Vice President Lotta Danielsson spoke at  “Taiwan’s China-Free Drone Industry: Successes and Continued Challenges,” an event hosted by the Global Taiwan Institute.

In announcing the event, GTI said,

As the war in Ukraine has demonstrated, drones are increasingly becoming a critical component in modern warfare. However, China has developed a near-monopoly in certain sectors of global drone production. With Chinese drone components flooding the world market, it is nearly impossible for countries to avoid reliance on Chinese parts. This poses significant national security concerns for countries like the United States and its partners, with Taiwan being no small exception. Unlike most other countries, Taiwan has the ability to produce the technical and dual-use components necessary to mass-produce indigenous drones without Chinese components. However, this is not to say that Taiwan’s domestic drone industry does not face its own challenges.

In this event, we will discuss Taiwan’s successes and continued challenges in drone manufacturing; the kinds of policies Taiwan and the United States should explore to facilitate decoupling from China; and how supply chain integration between the United States and Taiwan can be mutually beneficial, as well as the progress that has been made on this front.

Event News Coverage by the Central News Agency (Chinese)
Event News Coverage by Taiwan News (English)

The Council thanks the Global Taiwan Institute for the opportunity to participate and speak on this important topic.