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March 10: Deepening US-Taiwan Cooperation in Space

March 10: Deepening US-Taiwan Cooperation in Space

Tuesday, March 10, 2020 from 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM

https://www.facebook.com/globaltaiwaninst/videos/236717357369111/

Event Description

Taiwan has long been a partner of the United States in space. Through its National Space Organization (NSPO), Taiwan has contributed to experiments on the International Space Station and has joined previous National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Moon science programs. American space launch vehicles have put a series of Taiwanese-made satellites in space. This expert panel will discuss recent advances in Taiwan’s space program and prospects for future US-Taiwan government and commercial space cooperation.

Panelists include: Feng-Tai Hwang, System Engineer with the National Space Organization (NSPO); Albert Lin, Principal Engineer of the Electrical Engineering Division at NSPO; Anish Goel, Vice President at the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies; and Richard Fisher, Senior Fellow on Asian Military Affairs at the International Assessment and Strategy Center. The panel will be moderated by Russell Hsiao, Executive Director of the Global Taiwan Institute. This event is co-hosted by the International Assessment and Strategy Center.

Doors will open at 11:30 am, and the event will begin at 12:00 pm. Kindly RSVP by March 8. A light lunch will be served. Please direct questions or concerns to Program Assistant Jack Liu at rsvp@globaltaiwan.org.

Reminder: All our public seminars will be live streamed on our Facebook page at @globaltaiwaninst.

**Media: Please contact Jack Liu at rsvp@globaltaiwan.org if you would like to bring additional crew members or equipment, so that we can be sure to accommodate you.

Speakers

Dr. Feng-Tai Hwang received his Ph.D. from the Ohio State University in 2000. He joined NSPO as a system engineer in 2003. Since 2017, he has been responsible for promoting Taiwan’s space industry at NSPO.

Dr. Albert Lin is the principal engineer of the Electrical Engineering Division at NSPO, where he has served since 1994. He received his Ph.D. from National Central University in 2012, his M.A. from National Chiao Tung University in 2002, and his B.S. from Feng Chia University in 1985.

Dr. Anish Goel is a vice president at the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies. In this role, he focuses on strategic planning and policy implementation for emerging technologies in defense, intelligence, and other areas. Prior to Potomac, Anish was the vice president for international program development at L3 Technologies, where he led strategy and analysis for the company’s long-term international business. Anish previously served in the U.S. federal government for almost 13 years, working primarily on Asia foreign policy and technology policy issues. His experiences includes three years in the National Security Council of the White House, three years on the staff of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee, and over five years in the South Asia bureau of the State Department. Anish joined government in 2002 through a science and technology policy fellowship sponsored by the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Anish earned his Ph.D. in chemical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a B.S.E. in chemical engineering from the University of Michigan.

Richard Fisher is a senior fellow on Asian Military Affairs at the International Assessment and Strategy Center. Fisher is a recognized authority on the PRC military and the Asian military balance and their implications for Asia and the United States. His most recent book is “China’s Military Modernization: Building for Regional and Global Reach” (Praeger Security International). Fisher has worked on Asian security matters for over 20 years in a range of critical positions — as Asian Studies Director at the Heritage Foundation, senior analyst for Chairman Chris Cox’s Policy Committee in support of the report of the Select Committee for US National Security and Military/Commercial Concerns with the People’s Republic of China, and a consultant on PLA issues for the Congressionally chartered US China Security & Economic Review Commission. The author of nearly 200 studies on challenges to American security, economic and foreign policy in Asia, Fisher is a frequent commentator on Asian issues for radio and television and has testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, the House International Relations Committee, the House Armed Services Committee, and the U.S. China Security Commission, on the modernization of China’s military. Fisher has been Editor of the Jamestown Foundation’s China Brief, and a regular contributor to publications such as the Wall Street Journal, Far Eastern Economic Review, Jane’s Intelligence Review, National Interest, Air Forces Monthly, and World Airpower Journal. He has served as an election observer in Cambodia, the Philippines, South Korea and Taiwan, and performed field research in China, Taiwan, Russia, India and Pakistan. Fisher studied at Georgetown University and at Eisenhower College where he received his B.A. with honors. He is currently President of Pacific Strategies, Inc.

Moderator

Russell Hsiao is the executive director of GTI and adjunct fellow at the Pacific Forum. He previously served as a senior research fellow at the Project 2049 Institute, National Security fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, and Penn Kemble fellow at the National Endowment for Democracy. Prior to those positions he was the editor of China Brief at The Jamestown Foundation from October 2007­ to July 2011 and a special associate in the International Cooperation Department at the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy. While in law school, he clerked within the Office of the Chairman at the Federal Communications Commission and the Interagency Trade Enforcement Center at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. Mr. Hsiao received his J.D. and certificate from the Law and Technology Institute at the Catholic University of America’s Columbus School of Law where he served as the editor-in-chief of the Catholic University Journal of Law and Technology. He received a B.A. in International Studies from the American University’s School of International Service and the University Honors Program.

Event Summary

On March 10, 2020, the Global Taiwan Institute and the International Assessment and Strategy Center co-hosted a public seminar on deepening cooperation between the United States and Taiwan in space. GTI Executive Director Russell Hsiao introduced the topic by giving a brief overview of the history of bilateral cooperation between both governments and private sectors over the past two decades. The COSMIC-2 program, also known as Formosat-7 in Taiwan, is an excellent example of this cooperation. Despite numerous promising prospects and opportunities for expanded coordination, China’s anti-satellite test in 2007 and its continuous advances in space present significant security implications.

Dr. Feng-Tai Hwang of Taiwan’s National Space Organization (NSPO) initiated the discussion by elaborating on the development of a series of space programs in Taiwan since the late 1990s, covering the Formosat-1 to 7 satellite missions. Huang also discussed Taiwan’s latest national space program, the Third Phase (2019-2028), developed under President Tsai Ing-wen’s administration. This program is focused on enhancement of self-reliant satellite capabilities, particularly remote sensing satellites. It includes plans to build three satellite constellations and ten satellites within this timeframe.

Building on Dr. Hwang’s presentation, Dr. Albert Lin of the NSPO provided further recommendations for future cooperation between Taiwan and the United States in the space arena. These include: developing Formosat-8 and follow-on satellite missions; establishing manufacturing bases in Taiwan; exploring deep space in partnership with National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA); and promoting space education and cultivating Taiwanese astronauts.

Subsequently, Dr. Anish Goel of the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies noted that manned missions to the Moon and Mars are at the core of the current space policy of the United States. The growing importance of space can also be seen in the creation of the United States Space Force. As space gets increasingly cluttered, the United States plans to place greater emphasis on developing technology for tracking space debris and sustaining long-term missions. With significant technical expertise and a favorable data-sharing record, Taiwan stands out as an ideal partner for international cooperation in space.

Finally, Richard Fisher of the International Assessment and Strategy Center provided a security-focused perspective on the future of US and Taiwan initiatives in space. He began by pointing out that the Chinese government increasingly encourages its private sector to engage in space exploration, similar to the strategy adopted by the United States. A noteworthy difference, however, lies in the dual-use characteristics of China’s space programs, including surveillance satellites and space stations. This can be attributed to the close trilateral ties between the Chinese Communist Party, the People’s Liberation Army, and Chinese private enterprises. Fisher concluded by suggesting that there might already be a new space race developing between the United States and China.

This summary was written by GTI Spring 2020 Intern Ines Chung.


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