Taiwan: Regional Brief

In 2021, Taiwan passed its first piece of space legislation covering the development and regulation of the island’s burgeoning space industry. Taiwanese leaders have also begun emphasizing the connection between space and security, a notable shift from Taiwan’s historical emphasis on using space missions to study regional weather and climate patterns. Given the intensity of the threat posed by China (whose southeast shore is only 100 miles away), Taiwan presents an edge case for actors that are pursuing space capabilities and other approaches for security purposes, yet the island also seeks to embed itself into global supply chains for space to ensure international partners will come to Taiwan’s assistance, if needed. 

Authors: Katherine Melbourne and Austin Hillebrandt