Background
As Washington continues to assess Taiwan’s self-defense capacity largely through the lens of defense budgets and conventional military readiness, this event invites a broader conversation: 
What truly defines a nation’s ability to endure and respond to conflict?
 Drawing on over three years of Ukraine’s wartime experience, we explore how resilience is not built by state institutions and armed forces alone, but also through the mobilization of civil society and the adaptability of its technology ecosystem. From rapid drone innovation to decentralized, civilian-driven supply chains, Ukraine has demonstrated how democratic societies can shape defense outcomes in unconventional and powerful ways. In this context, Taiwan stands at the forefront of a pressing global challenge. As a technologically advanced democracy facing sustained coercion from the People’s Republic of China, Taiwan is actively exploring new modes of defense that combine formal military capabilities with civilian technological innovation and whole-of-society resilience strategies.
Objectives
This discussion aims to broaden how Taiwan’s defense resilience is understood within the Washington policy community. By highlighting lessons from Ukraine — including civil-military collaboration, open-source innovation, and responses to gray-zone tactics — the event offers alternative frameworks for evaluating preparedness beyond traditional metrics. It will also explore how Taiwan’s technological capacity and civic engagement could serve as key pillars of defense in a future crisis, demonstrating how democratic societies can respond creatively to authoritarian threats. Featuring speakers with expertise in civilian-led drone innovation, wartime supply chains, and China’s military modernization, the discussion offers U.S. policymakers and defense analysts timely insights into how Taiwan’s evolving experience can inform more adaptive and democratic approaches to security.
Partner Organization
Democratic Progressive Party Mission in the United States
Speakers and Moderator Bio
Iris Shaw
Iris Shaw serves as the Director of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Mission in the United States, where she leads the Party’s outreach to the U.S. government, Congress, and policy community in Washington, DC. She was the first staff member appointed when the Mission was reassumed in 2013, and has played a key role in building and sustaining DPP’s ties with Washington’s Taiwan policy community. Over the past decade, she has helped coordinate high-level visits by senior DPP leaders, including President Lai Ching-te (then Mayor of Tainan), as well as former Chair Su Tseng-chang and President Tsai Ing-wen. She also contributed to major party initiatives, including the English translation of President Tsai’s 2016 inaugural address and the drafting of the DPP’s National Defense Policy Blue Paper.
Before taking on her current role, Iris worked in the political and congressional affairs divisions of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office (TECRO) in Washington, DC, where she developed and maintained trusted relationships across the U.S. government, Capitol Hill, and leading think tanks. Her professional journey bridges government, civil society, and media. She previously served as a foreign policy advisor in Taiwan’s Presidential Office, Program Director at the California-based Formosa Foundation, and journalist for CommonWealth Magazine.
Iris holds a Master’s in Public Policy from Georgetown University, a Master’s in Journalism, and a B.A. in Foreign Languages and Literatures from National Taiwan University. She brings to her work a deep understanding of Taiwan’s evolving role in international affairs and a long-standing commitment to ensuring Taiwan’s voice is heard in Washington.
Jason Liu
Jason Liu is a journalist with 14 years of experience specializing in international news and human rights reporting. He has worked for regional and international news organizations, including the Financial Times in Taipei and The Reporter Foundation, where he served as deputy editor-in-chief. His coverage of global events—including conflicts in Palestine-Israel, Syria, and Ukraine, as well as investigations into Xinjiang camps and European refugee crises—has earned him over 20 awards. Currently, he covers Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
For the past three years, Jason has dedicated himself to reporting on the war in Ukraine. He has conducted over 100 interviews exploring issues connecting Taiwan and Ukraine. Additionally, he travels throughout Taiwan screening war documentaries and facilitating public discussions.
Jason reaches diverse audiences through various media platforms. His 2020 podcast "The Real Story" became Taiwan's most popular podcast and garnered multiple awards. His 2021 book "Making Truth: Inside the Global Fake News Industry," examining fake news operations across eight countries, earned several accolades, including the top non-fiction prize at the Taipei International Book Fair.
Sunny Cheung
Sunny Cheung is a Fellow for China Studies at the Jamestown Foundation, where he employs open-source intelligence to analyze Chinese politics, cross-strait relations, dual-use and emerging technologies, and security issues. He is also a Global Fellow at the Research Institute for Democracy, Society, and Emerging Technology (DSET), where he focuses on the global supply chain and semiconductor industry, and an International Strategic Forum (ISF) Fellow at the Special Competitive Studies Project (SCSP).
Prior to joining the Jamestown Foundation, Cheung conducted research for Janes Information Services, Project 2049, Academia Sinica, and the U.S. Department of State, with his work often addressing China’s techno-authoritarianism, strategic policies, and geopolitical ambitions.
Cheung was named a Global Leader by the McCain Institute. He has held visiting fellowships at Stanford University, Johns Hopkins University, and National Sun Yat-sen University in Taiwan, where he explored the intersection of democracy, geopolitics, and emerging technologies. Cheung has testified before the U.S. Congress, the UK Parliament, and the Taiwan Legislative Yuan on topics ranging from China’s technological ambitions and state policies to cross-strait security concerns.
Chieh-Ting Yeh
Chieh-Ting Yeh is a partner at the geoeconomics wealth and advisory firm Farron, Augustine & Alexander and a director of US Taiwan Watch, an international think tank focusing on US-Taiwan relations. He graduated with a JD from Harvard Law School, and was a corporate attorney specializing in corporate finance, M&A, and tech startup investments and exits. His clients included Goldman Sachs and Mitsubishi UFJ Group. He is the co-founder of the media brand Ketagalan Media and the Global Taiwan Institute, a DC based think tank, having served as its Vice Chairman and an advisor. He is a member of the Standing Committee of the Formosan Association for Public Affairs (FAPA). He is also an advisor for National Taiwan Normal University’s International Taiwan Studies Center. He has written for National Bureau of Asian Research, Foreign Policy, The Diplomat, Apple Daily, Commonwealth Magazine and British fashion magazine Glass. He is fluent in Taiwanese, English, Chinese, and Japanese.
Information Source: US Taiwan Watch美國台灣觀測站 | eventbrite

Washington D.C.

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Four Seasons Hotel Washington, D.C.

Near Georgetown|Georgetown, Washington D.C.

Luxury Hotels

Waldorf Astoria Washington DC

Near The White House|The Mall, Washington D.C.

United States Capitol

Historic buildings

生长在海边的果果

The Capitol building needs to make an appointment to buy tickets in advance to visit. Arrive on time according to the requirements. There are many people. Be sure to have an advance amount to not affect the itinerary. You can make an appointment for a Chinese tour in advance. Although it is a Chinese tour, it is also a foreigner tour guide who speaks English and uses a translator to translate it into Chinese to play it for us. It is very interesting. The interior of the Capitol is also very good from the perspective of the building itself. You must explain it when you go in and visit.

National Mall

The National Mall is a must-check-in place for Washington tourism. One is the Lincoln Memorial and the other is the Washington Monument. There is a pool of water between them and green spaces on both sides. There are monuments such as the Victory Memorial of World War II, the Vietnam War and other monuments, and the Jefferson Memorial. The beautiful cherry blossoms of the annual Washington Cherry Blossom Festival are also in full bloom around this area. We arrived in Washington at the end of April. It is a pity that the cherry blossoms have been lost and have not left a trace. I can only imagine that the scene of blooming must be beautiful.

The Ritz-Carlton Georgetown, Washington, D.C.

Rosewood Washington DC

The Hay - Adams

Near The White House|Downtown Washington, Washington D.C.

The White House

泰迪小熊

Came on September 22, 2017. I heard that the White House has not been open to the public since 911, and we can only look far outside the fence when we go, so the White House has become a boring landmark, taking a photo of the tourists who &ldquo;come here&rdquo; to check in. There is a big pine tree on the south side of the White House, and I didn&rsquo;t expect it to be a &ldquo;landmark&rdquo; and a &ldquo;national Christmas tree&rdquo;... Well, it seems that you should pick Christmas to visit.

Lincoln Memorial

Night view

_We***42

[Cost-effective] 24 hours free opening, although we went to 6 o&#39;clock, but winter ❄️ dark early. But the momentum is still the same. But how do you feel that Taipei&#39;s Zhongzheng Memorial Hall and Lincoln Memorial Hall are so similar! [View] Needless to say, the atmosphere is magnificent! Facing the Washington Monument! At this time, I suddenly remembered that Chairman Mao&#39;s poem &quot;Jiangshan so many beautiful, attracted countless heroes to fold!

Washington Monument

铨上风满楼

Washington DC monument is one of the landmark buildings in Washington... built in honor of the first president of the United States. This stone monument was once the world&#39;s tallest building... Now there is still an obelisk with the world&#39;s tallest stone structure...

Time:	Jun 2, 2025 (UTC-4) ENDED
Location:	DPP U.S. Mission

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Washington Monument

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