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Strait Forward

Special Competitive Studies Project - SCSP

Strait Forward is a podcast series from the Special Competitive Studies Project (SCSP), where Channing Lee takes a deep-dive into Taiwan, the island at the forefront of technological innovation and the global fight for democracy. Hear Taiwanese experts discuss geopolitics, technology, and culture.

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25 episodes
fortnightly
Avg 43 min
English

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#42
Today · 34 min
Why Taiwan’s Tech Firms are Betting on Texas
In this episode of Strait Forward, host Channing Lee goes to the Taiwan Expo 2026 in Dallas, where more than 150 Taiwanese companies are showcasing Taiwan’s latest innovations in artificial intelligence, autonomous drones, robotics, semiconductor manufacturing, and more. As economic ties between Taiwan and Texas continue to strengthen, Taiwanese firms are looking to the Lone Star State as a growing hub for investment and advanced manufacturing. TAITRA Chairman James Huang shares his perspective
#41
September 29 · 47 min
Inside Taiwan’s First Sovereign AI Benchmark
In this crossover episode with our “Chipping In” event series, host Channing Lee takes the stage with Taiwan's Minister of Digital Affairs, Lin Yi-jing (林宜敬), one year into his tenure at the Ministry of Digital Affairs (moda). A former IBM researcher, startup founder, and bestselling author, Minister Lin explains why "who controls AI controls the past," how Taiwan is building a sovereign AI corpus and a weekly-updated “Basic Evaluation Benchmark” that tests 180+ models for Taiwanese values, a
#40
September 15 · 54 min
Made in Wisconsin: Inside Foxconn's American AI Manufacturing Boom
In this episode of Strait Forward, Channing Lee tours Foxconn's Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin campus with Robert Schlaeger, Head of U.S. Region Public & Government Affairs at Foxconn, to unpack how the Taiwanese electronics manufacturing giant built one of its largest U.S. footprints — and is enabling America to build in the age of AI. They trace Foxconn's roots in America back to Houston in the 1980s, discuss the pivot from Wisconsin's original consumer-electronics plans to today's booming AI dat
#39
September 1 · 50 min
Why Taiwan Didn’t Steal America’s Chip Industry (Pt. 3: Industry & Culture)
Building advanced semiconductor foundries — and serving as the world’s trusted semiconductor supply chain capital — requires far more than purchasing multi-million-dollar lithography equipment. It also requires a fundamental alignment between a company’s business strategy, structural architecture, and organizational culture. In the last episode of a three-part Strait Forward miniseries on why Taiwan did not steal America’s chip industry, host Channing Lee speaks with Dr. Konrad Young, a former
#38
August 18 · 28 min
Why Taiwan Didn’t Steal America’s Chip Industry (Pt. 2: Institutional Ecosystem)
In this episode, Channing sits down with Stephen Su, Senior Vice President at ITRI, to trace how a single 1974 breakfast meeting between Taiwanese officials led to a pivotal technology licensing agreement with RCA — bringing 36 researchers to the US for a year of training that would seed Taiwan's entire semiconductor foundry industry. Su walks through how ITRI incubated both UMC and TSMC as spinoff companies, and explains why he attributes only a small fraction of Taiwan's success to luck — the
#37
August 4 · 51 min
Why Taiwan Didn’t Steal America’s Chip Industry (Pt. 1: Geoeconomic History)
Political rhetoric often relies on simple villains, and few narratives are as convenient — or as fundamentally flawed — as the claim that Taiwan "stole" America’s semiconductor industry. In a new three-part miniseries of Strait Forward, host Channing Lee seeks to debunk this myth by examining how and why Taiwan built its chip industry, and how Taiwan’s emergence as a manufacturing powerhouse enabled America to unleash its innovation power. This first episode featuring Dr. Roy Lee, formerly Taiw
#36
July 20 · 42 min
Assessing PLA Military Readiness
China's military is testing Taiwan in new ways — fewer dramatic air incursions, and far more Coast Guard ships crowding Taiwan's waters in a slow, deliberate squeeze. In this episode, host Channing Lee sits down in the Strait Forward studio with Dr. I-Chung Lai, President of the Prospect Foundation, to assess how Taiwan reads the readiness of the People's Liberation Army to conduct an operation around the island. They dig into whether Beijing has the capability for a full-scale invasion, why a b
#35
July 7 · 36 min
Sharing Boba Tea, Sharing Taiwan
It's Taiwan's most famous export in a cup, but behind every chewy tapioca pearl is a global business story of culture, competition, and surprising technology. In this episode, host Channing Lee talks about all things boba with Greg Chen, CEO of International Business and Chief Investment Officer for the group behind Sharetea and Unique Green (UG) Tea, two of Taiwan's biggest bubble tea brands. They cover where boba came from, how the drink became a worldwide phenomenon and a symbol of Taiwanese
#34
June 23 · 48 min
The U.S.-Taiwan Semiconductor Education Alliance
As the United States and Taiwan deepen their semiconductor partnership, can they build a talent pipeline resilient enough to sustain it? Recorded live in Orlando at the 2026 U.S.-Taiwan Semiconductor Higher Education Networking Event, on the sidelines of the NAFSA: Association of International Educators 2026 Annual Conference, host Channing Lee sits down with three university leaders shaping that future: Dr. Lin Chi-Hung, President of National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University in Taiwan; Dr. Cynth
#33
June 9 · 25 min
How Taiwan is Building an AI Island
Taiwan's Deputy Minister of Digital Affairs, Chia-Lin Yang, joins host Channing Lee live at the AI+ Expo for a conversation on Taiwan's ambitions to become an “AI island” grounded in democratic values. They discuss the mission of Taiwan's Ministry of Digital Affairs (moda), the country's Ten AI Initiative, and the challenge of building a competitive software ecosystem to match Taiwan's already dominant hardware capabilities. Deputy Minister Yang also reflects on AI governance, cybersecurity prio
#32
May 26 · 43 min
A Strategy for Defending Taiwan
Channing Lee hosts a live conversation at the 2026 AI+ Expo Bookstore with historian Eyck Freymann, a Hoover Fellow at Stanford University. Drawing from Freymann’s new book, Defending Taiwan: A Strategy to Prevent War with China, the discussion delves into the "deterrence stack," a multi-layered defense framework encompassing political, military, strategic, and economic pillars. Freymann explains that while the United States is well-prepared for conventional military scenarios, it remains vulner
#31
May 12 · 42 min
Defending Against PRC Doublethink & Information Manipulation
At the 2026 AI+ Expo, host Channing Lee speaks with Doublethink Lab Founder and CEO Ttcat, Senior Analyst Jerry Yu, and Strategic Partnership Manager Dahyun Kim to expose the evolving tactics of PRC influence. From the alarming "GoLaxy Leak"—which revealed PRC state-backed AI profiling of Taiwan and U.S. citizens—to the "Borderless Group" content farms infiltrating social media, this episode pulls back the curtain on PRC foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI). The team discusse
#30
April 28 · 25 min
How to Brew Taiwanese Tea
In this episode of Strait Forward, host Channing Lee sits down with Paul Chang, founder of the Morganhope Tea Shoppe in Taipei, to discuss the history and uniqueness of Taiwanese tea. As a "first-generation tea maker," Paul explains how his shop blends modern practices with ancient craftsmanship. He walks Channing through a tea tasting experience, exploring the spectrum of seaweed-like notes in Taiwanese green tea to the honeyed sweetness of Oriental Beauty oolong.
#29
April 14 · 52 min
Japan's Stake in the Taiwan Strait
In this episode of Strait Forward, host Channing Lee is joined by Ken Moriyasu, Senior Fellow at the Hudson Institute and former foreign correspondent for Nikkei Asia, to discuss how Japan is navigating its stake in Taiwan’s future. Drawing on decades of experience reporting from Beijing, Washington, and Tokyo, Moriyasu provides a sobering, pragmatic assessment of the Japan-Taiwan relationship and the shifting geopolitical realities of the Indo-Pacific. They discuss the recent, controversial sta
#28
March 31 · 58 min
A Ghost Nation’s Struggle for Survival
In this episode of Strait Forward, host Channing Lee is joined by Taipei-based freelance journalist Chris Horton to discuss his new book, Ghost Nation: The Story of Taiwan and Its Struggle for Survival. With over two decades of experience reporting for major news outlets from China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, Horton offers an "outsider-on-the-inside" perspective on the island’s history and how Taiwan has evolved from a geopolitical afterthought to an indispensable global player that still struggles
#27
March 17 · 1 hr 1 min
Why Taiwan Matters to Every U.S. City & State (Subnational Diplomacy Explained)
Strait Forward celebrates its first anniversary with a special crossover episode featuring SCSP’s in-person “Chipping In” event series! Host Channing Lee welcomes on stage Andrea Yang, Deputy Representative of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States (TECRO), to discuss how Taiwan is engaging in subnational diplomacy across American cities and states. She provides a historical overview of Taiwan’s resilient diplomatic efforts since 1979, highlighting how Taiwan
#26
March 3 · 39 min
How to Cook Taiwanese Cuisine
On this episode of Strait Forward, host Channing Lee explores the rich tapestry of Taiwanese culture through the lens of its world-class cuisine. Moving beyond the "clichés" of beef noodle soup (牛肉麵) and xiaolongbao (小籠包), the episode highlights how food serves as a powerful unifier and a key component of Taiwan's global soft power. Author and award-winning food journalist Clarissa Wei discusses her cookbook, Made in Taiwan: Recipes and Stories from the Island Nation, explaining how centu
#25
February 18 · 54 min
Civilian Preparedness Through Film & TV
On this episode of Strait Forward, Channing Lee is joined by Lin Jin-Chang and David Kao, among the creators of Taiwanese TV series “Zero Day Attack,” to discuss the important role that film and television play in civilian preparedness. Released in August 2025, “Zero Day Attack” depicts the grey-zone threats that the PRC poses to Taiwan and the resilience of the Taiwanese people amid the pending threat of invasion. The show is currently only available to watch in Taiwan and Japan. A former Natio
#24
February 2 · 42 min
Cognitive Warfare & Civilian Defense
On this episode of Strait Forward, host Channing Lee sits down in Taipei with Puma Shen, a member of Taiwan’s Legislative Yuan, associate professor of criminology at National Taipei University, and co-founder of Kuma Academy and Doublethink Lab. Puma breaks down the multitude of threats that Taiwanese civilians face from Beijing, ranging from traditional military coercion to the invisible battleground of cognitive warfare, their impact on domestic Taiwanese politics, and what ordinary citizens a
#23
January 12 · 51 min
Unpacking the U.S.-China Commission's Recommendations on Taiwan + Predictions for 2026
In this first episode of 2026, host Channing Lee rings in the new year with a look at recent events surrounding Taiwan, including a record-breaking $11 billion U.S. arms package and unannounced, large-scale PLA military exercises. Randy Shriver and Mike Kuiken, Chair and Vice Chair of the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, join Channing to discuss the USCC’s 2025 Annual Report and its recommendations to the U.S. Congress on Taiwan, predictions for the region in 2026, and the cri

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