Tech Hub Taiwan Aims To Create 'Non-Red' Drone Industry

Taiwan is trying to build up a domestic drone industry both for its own defense and to benefit from the U.S.-China rivalry.

Transcript

00:00Manufacturers at an AI innovation center in southwestern Taiwan are giving visitors from

00:07Asia a taste of what the country hopes will be its next big product, drones.

00:14Already the world's leading semiconductor hub, Taiwan is now trying to build a drone industry.

00:21It's mostly producing drones for civilian uses like disaster response and traffic management.

00:28But it's also making drones for military purposes.

00:32Part of a shifting defense strategy as it faces increasing threats from China,

00:38which claims sovereignty over democratic Taiwan.

00:42Well we know that based on the war in Ukraine they've been using a lot of drones because they

00:49might be short of manpower. So this can be the same situation in Taiwan as well because we don't have

00:56as many manpower compared to China.

00:59In developing a drone industry, Taiwan is also competing with Beijing on another level.

01:05It wants to become an alternative supplier to China, which dominates drone making.

01:12As the US and other countries look to reduce dependence on Chinese manufacturers,

01:17Taiwan hopes it can step in.

01:19Here in the rural county of Jiayi, set up a base for drone development and testing.

01:26Part of its plan to become an Asian hub of drone supply chains for democratic nations.

01:34Legislator Guangting Chen of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party

01:39says he believes Taiwan is on the right track, but that it should target its own market first.

01:45I would urge the Ministry of National Defense to open more bits,

01:51to make sure that we have enough during the conflict time.

01:55Well, we hope that day will never come, but we need to stockpile those things.

02:00So when the time comes, we have enough.

02:03And this is also a great deterrence to China to tell them we are going to prepare.

02:09Here in Jiayi, Taiwan is demonstrating to potential Japanese suppliers and customers

02:18that its drone industry is already off the ground.

02:22Now it is trying to scale it up, so the country can produce enough drones

02:27to also help protect itself in any future conflict with China.

02:32Hank Xu, Eason Chen and Louise Watt for Taiwan Plus.