TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Given Elon Musk’s pro-China statements, two experts have warned that Taiwan must fortify its satellite communication infrastructure rather than rely on the tech mogul’s Starlink.
Jason Hsu, a fellow at Harvard Kennedy School, and Richard Y.K. Chen, former vice minister for policy at the Ministry of National Defense (MND) jointly published an article on Wednesday (Sept. 13) in the journal Project Syndicate to warn that Musk’s pro-China stance and extensive business interests in China could potentially lead to him complying to Chinese demands to shutter Starlink in the event of a conflict in the Taiwan Strait. They warned that If Taiwan is cut off from the internet, it may have dire consequences for the world economy and financial markets.
They called on the Taiwan government to strengthen its communication capabilities and ensure a robust and reliable network system. They also recommend that the U.S. establish a working group to collaborate with allies in assisting Taiwan and guaranteeing uninterrupted communication.
The article underscores several concerns. Firstly, relying solely on Starlink means that any system failure or data breach could be irreversible. Second, Musk’s clearly has a pro-China stance and even has recommended that Taiwan could become a special administrative region of China, much like Hong Kong.
Third, Musk’s big business interests in China raise concerns about his potential alignment with Beijing’s interests. Based on these factors, if there is a military conflict between China and Taiwan, “there is no guarantee that Musk would not accede to China’s demands.” Thus, without control over its data, Taiwan’s national security could be at risk.
The authors recommended that to protect itself, Taiwan, the global chip leader, must develop its own satellite communications and technology capabilities. “By integrating and consolidating resources, the Taiwanese government could establish, and maintain control over, public-private partnerships that would be able to ramp up capacity rapidly in the event of a war,” wrote the authors.
They also recommended that the government streamline procurement processes to make it easier for startups to collaborate with defense contractors.
The article said that although the National Development Fund invests in satellite technology and critical communications infrastructure, the MND and the Ministry of Digital Affairs should cooperate with the Taiwan Space Agency and exchange intelligence and set up a “defense-shield system” with partners such as Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, and Australia.
The authors said that Taiwan needs to launch 120 satellites to ensure uninterrupted backup communications, but officials are “racing against time” and also need to garner the support of allies.
The article suggests that the U.S. government should consider allocating part of the funds provided by the CHIPS Act and the National Defense Authorization Act to jointly develop satellite communications technology and related semiconductor chips with Taiwan. In addition, as part of the Indo-Pacific strategy, the U.S. should lead in forming this alliance, establishing working groups, formulating technical standards, and scheduling high-level visits.
The writers acknowledged that Taiwan’s situation is not entirely the same as that of Ukraine. Taiwan is separated from China by the Taiwan Strait and Taiwan relies on imports for more than 90% of its energy needs.
This means that a blockade could rapidly shut down Taiwan’s economy and endanger the security of the country’s neighbors and the Indo-Pacific region. Therefore, the authors said that a severing of Taiwan’s internet could escalate into a “global crisis.”
The article concludes that as tensions in the Taiwan Strait escalate, Taiwan’s security is becoming a “shared geopoltical concern.” The authors argued that Taiwan and its allies should immediately begin investing in relevant fields to ensure that Taiwan’s connectivity with the outside world remains uniterrupted.
