By:
John Dotson
Since the end of Taiwan’s martial law era in the late 1980s and the island’s gradual transition into a free and democratic society, the island has seen the flowering of one of the most vibrant civil societies in Asia. The wide network of grassroots non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Taiwan has not only made progress possible on a host of challenging social issues within Taiwan itself, but has also made the island an example for other regional civil society activists (see Ben Sando’s article “Taiwan as an Exporter of Democracy in Southeast Asia,” elsewhere in this issue) and a regional NGO hub for international organizations.
By:
Jonathan Harman
Drones are increasingly central to modern warfare—a fact illustrated by the widespread use of such weapons in Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine. In order to modernize its military and counter growing Chinese aggression, Taiwan is aiming to become a drone manufacturing powerhouse. However, unlike previous indigenous defense production projects, Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense (MND, 國防部) is relying more on the private sector than state-owned enterprises (SOE). While this effort is largely succeeding at its early stages, material costs and stymied international cooperation pose challenges to industrial growth.
By:
Ben Levine
Taiwan is highly reliant on energy from abroad, importing nearly 97 percent of its energy annually. Under current reserves, Taiwan could sustain its energy usage for about two weeks without new supply. As of 2024, Taiwan's energy mix is dominated by fossil fuels. Oil makes up 35.87 percent, coal makes up 31.75 percent, gas 23.73 percent, solar 2.91 percent, nuclear 2.38 percent, and wind and hydropower together represent 3 percent. Although renewables constitute a small share of Taiwan’s current energy mix, recent years have seen rapid growth in capacity and deployment.
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