On August 11, the North American Taiwanese Engineers Association (NATEA) hosted a significant forum on technology diplomacy, bringing together numerous leaders from the technology sector, politics, and the expatriate community in Silicon Valley, alongside esteemed scholars. The event served as the inaugural meeting for the Global Alliance for Taiwan Technology and Diplomacy (GATTD). During the forum, GATTD’s Executive Director, Chen Yan-Guang, provided insights into the organization’s mission and objectives, marking a pivotal moment for Taiwan’s tech landscape in promoting international collaboration.
Attendees included Zhu Yong-Chang, Deputy Director of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in San Francisco; Yu Jin-Bang, founding president of NATEA and chairman of GATTD; and Yang Yao-Hong, President of NATEA. Notable figures such as Kharis Templeman from Stanford University’s Hoover Institution, Santa Clara County Council member Otto Lee, and Wang Shao-Hua, former General Manager of the International Division at the Industrial Technology Research Institute, also participated.
Yang Yao-Hong provided a detailed overview of NATEA’s history and development, sharing the association’s transformation initiatives. He highlighted its commitment to encouraging Special Interest Groups and a Leadership Pipeline program for nonprofits, which has revitalized NATEA. These developments include the formation of a new chapter in Arizona, a senior members’ group from California, and the Junior NATEA division aimed at engaging youth in Silicon Valley, fostering a dynamic intergenerational community.
Yang pointed out that members of the GATTD Special Interest Group acknowledged Taiwan’s limitations on the international stage while considering advances in technology. This understanding led them to establish a formal Taiwan Technology and Diplomacy Alliance under the NATEA framework, designed to enhance technological exchanges with the U.S. and other nations, thereby increasing Taiwan’s involvement in global organizations.
Expressing his enthusiasm as GATTD’s first Executive Director, Chen Yan-Guang outlined the organization’s goals, emphasizing Taiwan’s formidable technological prowess, which includes control over 90% of high-end semiconductor production and a position as one of the top ten trading partners with the U.S. Despite significant visibility at the recent Taipei International Computer Show, he acknowledged that Taiwan struggles with formal participation in various international organizations, posing challenges to its diplomatic engagement and representation in sports.
Chen discussed strategies to leverage Taiwan’s technological strengths to forge stronger alliances with the U.S. and other countries, navigating existing diplomatic hurdles. He unveiled the organization’s vision, revealing an emblem depicting “peace doves connecting the world” and the slogan “providing a platform for global technological connections.”
Kharis Templeman, who leads the Taiwan program at the Hoover Institution, addressed the disparity in information control among nations, highlighting the challenges this poses for Taiwan in cognitive warfare. He urged Taiwan to tackle these issues directly and suggested that deeper democratic partnerships between Taiwan and the U.S. could yield viable solutions to shared challenges. He cited Wikipedia as an influential example functioning without governmental oversight.
Wang Shao-Hua later discussed the evolution of the global technology supply chain, emphasizing that, in addition to the well-known TSMC, Taiwan is home to many “hidden champions,” particularly in sectors like quantum computing. He underscored the comprehensive nature of Taiwan’s technological ecosystem, with mature OEM and ODM models enabling its competitive stance on the global stage.
The event also featured contributions from prominent leaders in the technology field, including former IEEE Computer Society President Rajiv Mathur, current President Vishnu Pendyala, Ji Guo-Zhong, former Chairman of the Taiwan Industrial Technology Promotion Association (TITA) and policy advisor, Hu Li-Min, Chairman of the Global Yu Shan Association, as well as former President of the Taiwanese American Industrial Technology Association (TIATA), Li Ying-Shan, and current Vice President Liu Jia-Ning.
