U.S. execs visit Taiwan to explore collaborations in drone technology

Taipei, Sept. 23 (CNA) More than 20 executives from U.S. companies that manufacture drone and anti-drone systems arrived in Taiwan on Sunday for a four-day trip to explore collaboration and trade opportunities.

Organized by the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) and the United States Department of Commerce's International Trade Administration, the private sector delegation includes representatives from AEVEX Aerospace, BRINC Drones, Echodyne, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, High Point Aero Tech, Jaia Robotics, and Northrop Grumman, among others.

"This business development mission will help foster the relationships between U.S. and Taiwan firms that are needed to increase global supply chain resilience," an AIT spokesperson told CNA on Monday.

The visit lasts from Sept. 22-25 and includes meetings with Taiwanese industry, academia and military representatives.

On Monday, the delegation visited the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology, a government-run defense establishment.

A source familiar with the matter told CNA that the U.S. executives had arrangements to have dinner with high-ranking officials from Taiwan's national security and military agencies on Monday evening.

On Tuesday, business-to-business (B2B) activities are scheduled to connect the American visitors with Taiwanese businesses in the fields of uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) and counter-uncrewed aircraft systems (C-UAS), according to the anonymous source.

The B2B "matchmaking" activities are organized by AIT, the de facto embassy of the United States in Taiwan that operates in lieu of formal diplomatic relations between the two countries.

The final day of the visit on Wednesday will feature a forum on industry development and market cooperation in drone-related technologies, the source said.

"Trade missions in both directions are longstanding and part of efforts to encourage greater trade and investment between the United States and Taiwan," the AIT spokesperson said.

The visit comes just a few days after Taiwan's Defense Minister Wellington Koo (顧立雄) told local media during an informal meeting that the Ministry of National Defense's (MND) "defense innovation group" established this year is already collaborating with its American counterpart, the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), in the fields of UAS and C-UAS.

The purpose of this U.S.-Taiwan defense collaboration is aimed at "strengthening asymmetric combat capabilities," Koo said.

While the more-than-twenty American executives are visiting Taiwan to discuss drone collaboration, the MND's Vice Minister Hsu Yen-pu (徐衍璞) and representatives from Taiwan's three biggest political parties are participating in the annual U.S.-Taiwan Defense Industry Conference, which began on Sunday in Philadelphia.

The three-day conference is "a platform for discussing crucial issues surrounding defense cooperation between the U.S. and Taiwan, aiming to enhance mutual understanding and develop strategic solutions for future challenges," according to the website of the U.S.-Taiwan Business Council which has organized the annual event since 2002.

Both Washington and Taipei are increasingly concerned about the potential for conflict in the Taiwan Strait, as Beijing has threatened to annex Taiwan by force while expanding its military capabilities in recent years.